


World Cage

by Zinna92



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band), Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Tokyo Ghoul AU, this is a tokyo ghoul AU there are things you shouldn't expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-05-28 12:57:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 37,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6330130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinna92/pseuds/Zinna92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ghouls are individuals that only can be fed with human flesh. They walk secretely among humans. Kim Mingyu is a ghoul investigator who fail at being as ruthless as his partner. Felling sorry and empaty towards ghouls, falling for one. Making things complicated for everyone. Tokyo Ghoul!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Ruthless

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Tokyo Goul AU but for those who had read the manga, no it's not as complicated as the manga. And for everyone else, I'll try my best to link you to stuff and make this more understable since I didn't gave myself the time to explain some things on the work. Some concepts will be forgein but I tried my best to explain it's usage, I'm sorry, It's really and completely... complicated but it had to be done. Also it's my first time writing action scenes. Sorry if it's not good also I do not have a beta, If someone wants to help me feel free to message me.

In this world exist a kind of being that can just stop their hunger by consuming human meat. The natural predator of the human race. They disguise themselves as humans. They go by the name of Ghouls, the population is scared of them and the only ones that can defend them are the Ghoul Investigators from the CCG.  
  
Lee JiHoon was a First Class investigator. He was known for being a merciless killer. He never thought twice over killing or attacking his victims. It was one of the best since the very beginning, since his time on the academy, was the ace of his generation and he didn't really care. He enjoyed to see the painful looks of his victims, the screams and the blood, sprayed over his face. The warm blood was always exciting to him.   
  
JiHoon clasped his hand around his quinque. He waved the quinque, cutting the air, making a dry sound that resonated in his ears. He cursed under his breath when he noticed his failed attempt to hurt his prey. His knuckles went blank as the squeezed the handle of his quinque, he felt his blood boiling. He ran after his prey and blowed a well aimed attack, piercing his body. A sardonic smile was drawn on his tiny and slim lips. His quinque glowed as it made contact with the ghoul's blood. He could feel -and hear- the ghoul whimpering, murmuring and when he looked up to it, JiHoon could see a single tear rolling down its cheek. JiHoon felt scared for just a tiny fraction of a second and he retracted his quinque fast screaming silently. Gasping in fear.  
  
"First Class," he heard at his back and he blowed another accurate hit and all the movements just stopped. He turned to see the person behind him, he saw a tall man. A really tall man. A way taller than JiHoon, who barely kept his height from High school. 21 years old and JiHoon's height was still around 1.64 meters.  
  
"Everything okay?" He asked looking at the man. Barely able to look directly to his eyes. He scanned the boy, looking at the blood and the white coat stained with blood. He hissed an angry sound. The taller man looked at himself and his wound.  
  
"It's just a scratch," he said smiling. "The raid is almost over, I'll just go to the medical team now." JiHoon nodded as he walked carefully in the place, they could never be sure about the number of ghouls hiding in a place.  
  
"You should be careful next time, I don't want people to think that I haven't teach you properly," he said as they kept walking on the almost empty corridors. Almost because they could find dead bodies from investigators and ghouls alike on the floor.  
  
"Oh, you're worrying about my well being," the taller joked. JiHoon frowned containing himself to not kill the man.  
  
"Rank 1 Kim Mingyu, behave," JiHoon said. His voice as dry as always. Not really caring about anything nor anyone besides himself. "I just care about my future promotion," he said.   
  
"I heard you took down an S rated ghoul by your own," he said hitting playfully JiHoon's shoulder, earning a scold from him, nevertheless that didn't stop JiHoon from drawing a proud smile on his lips. They were close to the medical team when a noise came to their ears. The noise came from their communication device. They exchanged curious glances and raised their hands to their ears, to be able to hear the talking from their superior.   
  
"First Class Lee JiHoon, Rank 1 Kim Mingyu, we need your assistance immediately on floor 3," they heard and Mingyu turned abruptly back to the building but JiHoon took him by the arm.  
  
"Rank 1 Mingyu is injured, I'll accompany him to the medical team and go back to help," JiHoon said, startling Mingyu. Mingyu looked down to his superior watching the slightly pinkish color on his white skin. He felt touched by the sudden words that made his cheeks burn.  
  
"Rank 1 Mingyu, to the medical team. First Class JiHoon, we need help urgently, back to the field," they heard. JiHoon cursed under his breath and looked to Mingyu. On Mingyu's face was drawn the disappointment. Somehow, an oddly, JiHoon felt his heart break and sank. Work is work, he thought.  
  
"You heard Seungcheol," JiHoon said, hitting Mingyu's shoulder. An action that intended to be playful but came out to be harsher than he wanted when he heard Mingyu's whine, "to the medical team, I'll come back later," he said walking towards the building again.  
  
"Special Class Seungcheol," Mingyu corrected his superior who turned his head, his face completely red, ashamed of his little slip of tongue.  
  
"Yeah, whatever," he shouted back, start to running back to the building, his hand tightly griped around the handle of his quinque. For a second he felt the quinque was lighter, as it enjoyed the fighting and wanted to taste more blood. He brushed his thoughts, how a dead ghoul would want to taste the blood of it's comrade. 'Ghouls are despicable beings,' JiHoon thought while squeezing his grip on his quinque, his knuckles going white, 'I don't doubt they want to destroy each other, monsters with no feelings.' JiHoon ended his little mental discussion when he saw a person standing in front of him. A frown drawn on his face.  
  
"Damn." JiHoon heard the person say and when it moved reaching its face to place a mask on it he knew with what he was dealing. He prepared to fight, placing his quinque in front of him, glowing and making dry sounds. A hissing sound distracted him, he looked up to see the person already in front of him, he barely dodged the attack and blocked it with his quinque. He retreated a few steps.  
  
JiHoon was fast to think but it's opponent was faster than his thoughts so he blowed attacks randomly. JiHoon felt his blood boil in anger as he found himself unable to land an accurate hit on his opponent. For a moment JiHoon felt like a kid with a plastic sword, playing around with his new toy. It was impossible, how a great fighter, a great ghoul investigator could be possibly facing this kind of situation? He felt helpless, hopeless.   
  
"Damn you, JiHoon, where are you?" JiHoon heard on his ear, the communication device startled him and distracted him enough to get an injury on his shoulder. He cried in pain but never took his eyes from his now predator. JiHoon saw the shining tentacle, the kagune still piercing his body. Took enough to strength left into his body and cut the kagune, the kagune disappeared, solving into air. He moaned over his aching shoulder. JiHoon moved his injured arm to reach the communication device.   
  
"I'm sorry, I have encounter a ghoul on my way back. Rank A probably, "JiHoon pronounced slowly, looking for a response from his adversary after the only well sharp attack he could aim for the moment. The man straightened the mask and he studied it. He whimpered as he moved his arm a little, feeling the warm blood drenching his white coat, "I might need back up," he said, rushing the words as he panicked, "I'm facing the SS Ranked ghoul, coded Sloth," he tightening the grip of his quinque, he endured the pain and he griped the handle with both hands. The ghoul named 'Sloth' released it's kagune. Three red tentacles with a blue hue to the end. He breathed swallowing the pain. The ghoul didn't move, but it's kagune started to attack, JiHoon couldn't do more that block every attack and hope for the best. He was good, he could even say he was great but fight a SS Ranked ghoul by himself was too much. Could he survive this? Maybe and even if he could, he probably could also die by the blood losing.  
  
He prayed for a miracle, for help. He wished he could be more open about his feelings, that wasn't him. He wished his will ended in Seungcheol's hands fist since he addressed it to him.  
  
A loud bang.  
  
JiHoon found out he was weeping while blocking every attack. Was he really crying? Was this even real? When he focused his sight he found Seungcheol throwing his quinque gun to the floor, releasing another quinque, this time shaped into a butcher knife. SS Ranked.  
  
"You didn't have to come," JiHoon yelled to his superior.  
  
"I was the only one available and capable to this," Seungcheol answered fast, getting into battle. JiHoon could only watch, and that was just to say something, the movements of both parties were fast and JiHoon hardly could see what was happening between them. He heard an agonizing bawl.  
  
"Seungcheol!" JiHoon cried. Another whimpering and no answer from Seungcheol. He took his quinque, ready to blow an attack if it was necessary. He was even ready to die if it was his time.  
  
"Don't cry," JiHoon heard and ran towards the the other male, forgetting completely the pain. Seungcheol was supporting all his weight on his quinque since the ghoul have made a bruise on Seungcheol's leg. It wasn't big but it surely hurt. JiHoon took all his will to run to the ghoul, throwing a precise hit on the ghoul's body, hearing it's distressed cry. He was about to throw another attack when the kagune throw him to the side, it wasn't a failed attempt, JiHoon knew, the ghoul didn't wanted to kill him. He whined loudly and he looked directly to the ghoul's eyes when it was about to jump out of the window. The glimpse he saw told him something he didn't quite understood. Did he saw a pair of hurt eyes? Did he saw an emotion on that monster? Of course not. Ghouls have no feelings. The thing of what JiHoon was sure of it was that he would see it again. He would see the same ghoul again and with it would come problems and it would be more than just a few deaths and injured people.  
  
He would find doubt and his world would crumble. He didn't know at that instant but when the moment came closer he would have to decide between knowledge or ignorance.  
  
"Are you alright?" JiHoon asked to Seungcheol when he saw him sitting on the ground.  
  
"Yes but I can barely feel my leg or stand," Seungcheol answered. JiHoon helped him to stand up and was his support. The pain on his shoulder became unbearable when he moved it to reach his communication device.  
  
"Is the medical team spare?" JiHoon asked calmly.  
  
"Barely, we're helping as many as we can," a soft feminine voice came to his ears.  
  
"Thanks Eunjin, I'm bringing you two more wounded people," Seungcheol said, jokingly.  
  
"Whom?" The lady asked, not taking Seungcheol's joke to notice.  
  
"Me and First Class JiHoon," Seungcheol said. "Special Class Jun, how is the fight up there?" He asked. He heard the silence, the air breaking in and some whimpering sounds.   
  
"Well, just a few managed to survive, heavily injured," the guy Jun said, coughing in between the words. It was hard to understand him -not for the heavily Chinese accent thrown in between the Korean words- as they knew the guy was also injured in battle.  
  
"The ghoul..." Seungcheol didn't finished as he got interrupted by Jun.  
  
"He managed to escape," he breathed. "He wasn't alone, he was with S Ranked Angel."  
  
"When those two aren't together?" Seungcheol asked angrily, to no one, it was a little tantrum of him.  
  
"They're glued together," Jun joked and his laugh broke down with a soft whines.  
  
"That's disgusting," JiHoon breathed and the other two laughed wholeheartedly in between their whimpering. Their pain made JiHoon to let out a cracked laugh that made everyone laugh. They came to the Medical team when everyone rushed to JiHoon's side. "What about Special Class Seungcheol?" JiHoon asked innocently me got a hit from a tall woman.   
  
"His, is just a scratch, you have a hunch of tissue missing and... Is still bleeding!" the woman screamed at the sudden realization on the dripping coat. She pushed Seungcheol aside whom lost his balance and fell into the floor on his buttocks. She started to manage the wound, professionally and fast. She started by making the wound to stop bleeding, think about reconstructing the missing tissue would come later. She rushed his job as she needed to work on other patients.  
  
Seungcheol watched her running but the thing that really amused him was to see JiHoon's agonizing face as the wound entered in contact with the medicine, and when the needle pierced his skin. He never saw him being hurt or in pain. He was an ace investigator, it was hard to get a hit on him, nevertheless that 'Sloth' ghoul could do it, that worried him.  
  
"First Class! First Class!" they heard a shouting and everyone looked around, seeing a running Mingyu. His cheeks tinted with red because of the fast running -not the running, that would be a bad thing for an investigator like him.-  
  
"What do you want Mingyu?" JiHoon hissed angrily at the tall man.   
  
"Oh, Hyung, that's a nasty wound," he said looking at the nurse injecting some RC Medication directly to the wound.   
  
"Shut up," JiHoon said without contain the angry sound in his voice. "How are you?" He could manage.   
  
"Still worried about me?" Mingyu joked. "You should worry about yourself." Mingyu finished and for a second he let his true emotions being drawn on his handsome face. The worry and a painful expression in which you could see that he did really cared about his superior.  
  
"With the proper treatment it will heal, he just be out of the field for a while," the nurse said giving some pills to JiHoon to take.  
  
"I'll work alone?" Mingyu asked excited. Seungcheol laughed as he was helped to stand up and got his wounds treated. JiHoon punched Mingyu's shoulder angrily.  
  
"Show some respect," JiHoon yelled.  
  
"I'm sorry" Mingyu cried. Mingyu was a different kind of investigator, he knew how make the mood lighter after a fight, a hard raid, nonetheless he was a softhearted kind of person. Not that it really matters, their superior could said, but in the time being, when he find out the truth everything would change. Him and his ideals.  
  
JiHoon seemed like ice. Cold and emotionless but he was caring. He was a kind person but his mood could change fast and he needed some anger management classes but it worked with ghouls so nobody dared to say a word. He used his cute looks on his benefit as Seungcheol found unable to say no to him. JiHoon was a good person, an amazing investigator but a sad, violent and despicable human being. He was a good person, yes but as a human being he was the worst.  
  


* * *

  
  
The day passed, winter was over and so on, spring. After the raid Seungcheol wanted to give out promotions out of date. The higher ups didn't let him so he wrote down the promotions and let spring to come over and die again. Many things changed in that time, hearts, thoughts and lovers. Some deaths they faced and some bigger changes on the headquarters. He could hear the whispers from dissident people. He thought he did a great job and took the best choices for everyone, even though some were heartless for some other. At the moment Seungcheol was sitting on the first rows of the auditorium as the people was called to have their promotions.  
  
"Rank 3 Choi JiMin, Rank 3 Kim JaeHyun, Rank 3 Kwon MinHo, Rank 3 Xu MingHao all of you will be promoted to Rank 2 Investigators," the Director said, his voice echoing in the big closed space. All of four standing straight as they received their well deserved promotion. Xu MingHao was a tall slim man, as everyone saw him they started to whisper. MingHao felt the pressure over his shoulders and started to sweat. He took the paper with robotic movements. A soft round of applause and they went back to sit.  
  
"Rank 2 Kwon Soonyoung, Rank 2 Choi MinHee, Rank 3 Choi Minki, all of you will be promoted to Rank 1 Investigators," the voice resonated once again but a wave of whispers started to come at the sole mention of Rank 2 Kwon Soonyoung. He didn't minded it, he knew the reason and he didn't care at all. Not anymore, he took the recognitions and stepped out. His face looking up and forward. He was strong, a single clap was heard when he looked around and saw Seungcheol clapping he felt proud and happy, after him he saw the face of First Class JiHoon, clapping, he didn't seem amused and maybe the only reason he did it it was because of Seungcheol, nevertheless, Soonyoung feel his cheeks burn and kept walking straight.  
  
A single person walked out this time. Up to the stage.  
  
"First Class Lee JiHoon, you will be promoted to Associate Special Class Investigator," they heard and everyone clapped more out of fear than respect, "We are, also, awarding him with the single winged medal for him to have defeated a S Rated ghoul." JiHoon's cheeks turned red when the Director lowered to be able to put the pin in his uniform. He felt proud, it was his first award. He felt like the world was spinning to fast and everything seemed too surreal to be true even when he was back to his seat, hearing some other news. He eyed to his side, looking to a oddly nervous Sooyoung and he felt hot. Why? He didn't know, he looked back to the front saying his greetings to his superior as he left and he won't see him again until a new raid or when he did something wrong again.  
  
Everyone walked to the hall where the party would be thrown and JiHoon felt like going just for the free food and for some respect to his superior and comrades. When he entered the first thing he saw was the blonde hair of Soonyoung talking with Seungcheol. Soonyoung seemed like a puppy besides his superior, maybe it was because he really admired and respected the older one or maybe because he couldn't keep himself still for a few seconds, jumping around like a kid. The boy turned his face, looking at JiHoon. He exchanged a last few words with Seungcheol and ran towards JiHoon. Seungcheol just looked at him a did a slight bow to him and JiHoon answered the same way. JiHoon felt his heart ache a little as he saw the older walk away.  
  
"Congratulations, Associate Special Class JiHoon," Soonyoung said rushing his words excited. "Also," he continued signaling the pin on JiHoon chest.  
  
"Yes, you can touch it," he said not really wanting him to do it. He was reluctant of the Junior Investigator, he even felt a little disgust towards him. Soonyoung reached the pin and touched it in a caring manner. He was impressed but somehow it also pierced his heart. He let his face to show his fear just for a few seconds that JiHoon didn't noticed before smile bright and wide again. He got up again to get away and kept talking but his smile fell and started to stare to the door. Everything went completely silent and JiHoon turned to face whatever it made everyone to shut up.  
  
Mingyu was at the door and slightly shorter boy was standing at his side. He was wearing the same uniform everyone was using and JiHoon felt the urge to take his away and burn it. How they could do that. Mingyu's arm was around the boy's shoulder. No emotion drawn on his face. A ghoul's face, JiHoon thought. His face didn't hid his emotions. Soonyoung hit his shoulder and he looked back at him.  
  
"Don't be mean," Soonyoung was serious about his words and he walked towards the other two starting to hear some whispers about the matter. The jumpy Soonyoung was back as he moved around the boy. Mingyu left them to walk towards JiHoon.  
  
"Congratulations Hyung," Mingyu said smiling wide. Showing his teeth. His cheeks slightly red. His eyes wandering to the boy talking to Soonyoung and JiHoon felt anger once again.  
  
"Thank you," JiHoon said.  
  
"You should talk to Wonwoo," he said happily, jumping as the kid he always seemed around JiHoon. Maybe he spoiled him a way too much in the past. The hatred reflected on JiHoon's face made Mingyu's heart break. He respected JiHoon and loved Wonwoo. "He's really nice," Mingyu said pouting.  
  
"It's a ghoul," JiHoon hissed.  
  
"He might be a ghoul but he's still a human being, he deserve some respect," the words came out shyly. JiHoon shot daggers at the younger.  
  
"It's a ghoul, it have no feelings, it's just using you to get you and eat you," JiHoon said, raising his voice. JiHoon didn't noticed at first but some voices hushed at the sound of his. Wonwoo looked at him and if JiHoon wasn't looking at the male he would noticed the pain reflected in his dark eyes. His eyes gleamed with the dim light of the room. They gleamed for the tears he was containing, it hurted him but nobody really knew about it, he was a ghoul and for sure he got harsh words. Soonyoung gave Wonwoo a soft pat on his back, it was a reassuring movement and he was grateful to have him as a companion and comrade at the moment.  
  
JiHoon looked back at Mingyu, he could see in his eyes anger, repulsion and every emotion drawn on his eyes made JiHoon feel guilty. The sound of the voices whispering made him feel worse.  
  
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. Mingyu smiled shyly.   
  
"Be careful with your words Hyung, he's a way too sensitive," Mingyu said. He pat JiHoon shoulder and left him alone. Feeling dirty and sad.  
  
As he felt like been watched and judged, he went to look for food, even when JiHoon was feeling bad his face didn't really shown that. He was the cold JiHoon he was always been. A loud laugh and he turned his head to see Soonyoung talking naturally to Special Class Wen JunHui and Rank 2 Xu MingHao, from where he was he could hear that their talk was completely in Chinese. He stared at the blonde, JiHoon thought that Soonyoung was an amazing investigator, one of the best in his generation even though he did what he did to his body. He was still gracious and smiled brightly, he was still the child he met before -when JiHoon agreed to give a class in the academy- and he thought about the reasons. Money, maybe. He would ask, someday. If he felt brave enough. JiHoon took food and put it on his mouth, munching angrily.  
  
"Are you ok?" JiHoon heard at his back and choked on the food starting coughing.  
  
"Before you tried to kill me, yes," JiHoon answered angrily.   
He heard the soft laugh of his superior.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't meant to scare you," She said, smiling softly.  
  
"Apologies taken," he said taking more food on his mouth.  
  
"You shouldn't be angry," she said accompanying him on his eating, doing it on an elegant manner. "It was your fault after all," she continued.   
  
"My fault, isn't that what everyone think, what everyone feel?" JiHoon looked at her furious. He had to raise his head to be able to look at her face.  
  
"Of course but nobody is that brave to say it out loud," she said with a humorous hint. "And less in front of your subordinate, he's quite fond of the ghoul," she said lastly putting more food into her mouth.   
  
"Meihui," they heard, she waved at the person and apologize to JiHoon, leaving him alone again.  
  
JiHoon was left alone, with food and his thoughts. Was he wrong? Was Mingyu wrong? He wondered as he kept eating, ignoring everything around him. Immersed in his thoughts, not that someone would approach him in those moments, he had left clear that nobody should disturb him when he's eating. Not that he was proud about the matter but he had proven that his looks and height didn't revealed his talent as an investigator. He thought through the matter while eating and found himself supporting his own words. Those were his feeling but not only his but everyone in the agency thought the same. He might be right, didn't him?   
  
Before noticing JiHoon began to drown in doubts. He blamed the ghoul -that he won't call him by his name-. He blamed Mingyu and overall he blamed Seungcheol and his bright ideas.   
  
In that moment JiHoon have chosen his side and signed his death sentence.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here are some links. This is like an intro. Really, compared with the next thing I wrote. 
> 
> [Kagune](http://tokyoghoul.wikia.com/wiki/Kagune): Sloth's kagune is a rinkaku (scale-red) that's why I use tentacle to describe it. 
> 
> [Quinque](http://tokyoghoul.wikia.com/wiki/Quinque): Different shapes, ranks, etc. 
> 
> [RC Cells](http://tokyoghoul.wikia.com/wiki/Rc_cells)


	2. Der Heilige, Der Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's a Saint but under it, he's an idiot. You'll love him or hate him. You'll praise him and he will love you until your death. The Saint, the Idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is long.

Kim Mingyu was a handsome man. He was tall and handsome, many investigators envied his looks and couldn't believe he choose to be a Ghoul Investigator instead of being a model, but that was Kim Mingyu, handsome and tall but not pretty smart. He choose to being a ghoul investigator not because of revenge like most of the other investigators or for money or following his parents steps, no, he wanted to help. Mingyu thought, oh, the silly Mingyu thought that he could help humanity from ghouls and at some point he thought he could help the ghouls too. Ghouls weren't that bad.  
  
JiHoon hit him in the head. So hard that he could break Mingyu's neck. He sobbed in pain as he swung his quinque. The large tail wiggled in the air and turned around the ghoul's leg and took him. Mingyu pulled out the quinque and the ghoul came with it just to receive a final hit from JiHoon. The blood sprayed around JiHoon's hand and feet. The ghoul's torso was cut by half blood keep sprouting. JiHoon reached his pocket to take his phone and he dialed a number.  
  
"We have took down a Ghoul, probably Rank A, could you come to dispose the body?" JiHoon said and listened carefully to the person on the other side.  
  
Mingyu walked towards the upper part of the ghoul's body and reached to take off the mask. It was a girl, a young woman in his 20, no she haven't hit the age of 20 and he felt like throwing. He just helped to kill a child.  
  
"It's a ghoul," he heard at his back and Mingyu turned to see his partner taking his coat and cleaning his dirtied shoes on the body. "It doesn't matter if it is a old woman or a baby, they'll eat you alive if they could, no regrets, no fears," he said, directly, judging the younger feelings.  
  
Doubt is allowed the first days of fieldwork but after a year it was unforgivable. The team in charge of dispose the body came and JiHoon disappeared. Mingyu was left, looking at the face of a dead young lady, no, looking at the face of a dead young ghoul. It made no difference to Mingyu.  
  
Mingyu have cried several nights to sleep. The guilt consuming him slowly, painfully. Insane.   
  
Mingyu was silly, blind but the blindfold would soon fall and so his innocence but not his silliness. He would always be Mingyu, the Saint.  
  


* * *

  
  
The raid will soon be over, the higher ups were already fighting a high ranked ghoul, and as long as he knew, they were doing great. He was standing far from the fight, he was thinking on the many ghouls he have killed. JiHoon had smiled proudly when he saw him fight. JiHoon, have been proud of him. Mingyu smiled like a fool, swinging his shoulders. Earning some respect from his superior made him incredibly happy. The happiness almost distracted him.  
  
He saw a shadow in the corner of his eye and turned his head around. The ghoul was standing there, at the end of the hallway. His mask was a slot. Mingyu knew with what he was dealing. Mingyu tightened the grip on his quinque.  
  
Neither of them move. They waited for the other to attack. If someone wondered, Mingyu wasn't scared. Nobody would judge him if he was, a Rank SS ghoul was too much for a Rank 2 Investigator to deal with. _'If this is my end, I must die with dignity,_ ' Mingyu thought as he moved forward. Mingyu's movements were slow and imprecise compared to the ghoul's.  
  
Mingyu was attacking, hit by hit the ghoul just ducked but never attacked. If the ghoul was willing to attack him, he would be long dead and he wasn't. Why he wasn't dead? Mingyu kept attacking, doubts could be his death. Mingyu blowed a hit down in the ghoul's chest. He saw the red blood spilling, he heard it's crying, it's hissing. Something in him clicked.  
  
The quinque hit the floor as he ran towards the ghoul. He kneel besides it and took it's head to rest over his lap. He saw the dark eyes, not the gleaming ghoul's red eyes. Mingyu felt something different, it wasn't the regular pity or the regular need to help. It was warm on his chest as he saw the ghoul looking back at him, surprised and scared. 'What would he do?' The ghoul must be asking himself.  
  
"I won't hurt you," Mingyu heard himself saying. He saw the bleeding wound and gulped. "Again, I promise," he finished caressing the ghoul’s black hair. He heard a soft hurt laugh and he felt his heart jump. Stop. It was a beautiful laugh even when it was broken with the pain of an open wound. He wondered what he was feeling, what he was doing.  
  
"Help me," he heard in a deep voice that startled him. His eyes were soft as the clouds in the sky. Mingyu nodded. "I need to heal," the ghoul said, slowly, being careful with every word he said.  
  
"Are you gonna eat me?" Mingyu asked in a comical way that made the ghoul crack another loud laugh as he stood to sit in the dirtied ground.  
  
"No after you were this nice with me," the ghoul answered.  
  
"What should I do?" Mingyu asked with a puppy face.  
  
"You have to wound me again," the ghoul said.  
  
"But I said I won't," Mingyu retorted.   
  
"Well, this is a tiny wound and my body is unwilling to heal it," the ghoul said hitting it's chest. The blood was still pouring from the wound. "Please," Mingyu saw how the the ghoul's clothing was still drenching on it's own blood.  
  
Mingyu nodded, his hand digging in the inner pocket of his coat and got close to the ghoul until theirs chest bumped, he didn't mind it. The time seemed to have stopped around them. The ghoul's legs were around Mingyu's body as this had his legs crossed. Mingyu took a quinque knife out of his pocket.  
  
"I'm sorry," Mingyu whispered and the ghoul nodded. The ghoul placed its head on Mingyu's shoulder. Mingyu stabbed it. Hard and deep, he felt the flesh surrounding his knuckles. The ghoul coughed and Mingyu felt the blood in his neck. He took out the knife and he saw how the wounds started to heal.  
  
"Thanks," the ghoul said and Mingyu smiled at him, it was some intimacy on every of it. It was weird how intimate everything was between them even if they didn't know anything about each other.  
  
Fast rustling, sound of feet coming closer, they look each other. Some pain was drawn on the ghoul's eyes and Mingyu nodded. If someone saw them there should be a reason of why they were this close. Mingyu saw the change of the red eyes of the ghoul. The sound was new but somehow familiar, soon enough he faced three tentacles. Red with a blue hue to the end. He was seeing them up close, without the adrenaline of a fight and the fear of death blinding his senses. He saw beauty in them. He saw something unique in front of him. He smiled.  
  
"I'm sorry," the ghoul whispered and to Mingyu, it sounded sad and painful. It made his heart sank.  
  
"It's okay," he answered just in time when the kagune pierced his shoulder, it burned and he screamed in pain, flying backwards as someone entered the room to find them. The ghoul saw hesitation on the man and ran away. It apologized internally to his new friend, but surely that wound wouldn't kill him.  
  
Someone ran fast towards Mingyu to help him as he whimpered in pain.   
  
"Rank 2 Kim Mingyu is wounded," Mingyu heard before passing out.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Mingyu woke up with the pain of his wounded shoulder. It was almost completely healed, thanks to some RC Medication developed in the CCG. It would take him a while to go back to work and even move his arm evenly. In his shoulder will be a scar, some would say a nasty scar but somehow, in his mind he kept calling it love bite.  
  
The door opened abruptly and he saw messy dirty blonde hair. He smiled as he saw his superior, hair and clothing uneven. JiHoon was worried for sure and that was why he rushed in the hospital room to him but truthfully it was more than that. He was having fun elsewhere with someone before remembering he had his subordinate in an hospital bed.  
  
"What's funny?" JiHoon said as he straightened his clothing and hair.  
  
"How is Special Class Seungcheol?" Mingyu asked teasing the other.   
  
"Hey, more respect, to your superior," JiHoon answered bright red cheeks, "he's fine, worried about you," he finished, walking towards the younger. "Why you didn't called for back ups?" He asked as he took Mingyu's hand and caressed it.  
  
"What? What do you mean?" Mingyu answered.  
  
"The ghoul, you faced an SS ranked ghoul by yourself," JiHoon said, stopping his movements over Mingyu's hand. Mingyu blushed as he remembered the voice, the laugh and the warm blood. He remembered the intimacy he shared with a ghoul, with a dangerous ghoul. The pieces of his world puzzle fell apart at the realization of what happened.  
  
It was more than his understanding of the world let him see.  
  
"I'm sorry," Mingyu mumbled, embarrassed.  
  
"You could have died," JiHoon said, hitting Mingyu on his hurt shoulder making him weep.  
  
"I'm sorry," Mingyu cried out loud.  
  
"What have you been thinking?" JiHoon asked again, keep hitting Mingyu.  
  
"Hyung, stop, stop, hyung," with his good hand stopped the older. "Ok, I'm sorry, you were busy and it was so sudden, I had no time to react, I know I'm lucky to being alive, but I knew there were no many others available to face a high ranked ghoul than the ones already facing one," Mingyu said, slowly, trying to calm the older because, under all that anger there was worry, there was fear and he tried to erase everything with his words.  
  
"You've got a promotion," JiHoon muttered.  
  
"What?" Mingyu asked in disbelief.  
  
"Seungcheol gave you a promotion," JiHoon answered angrily. Mingyu was just able to mutter an oh as he was disconcerted by the notice.  
  
"Why?" Mingyu asked.  
  
"Something about you being alive with just a bruise," JiHoon said sitting on a chair beside Mingyu's bed "I paid no much attention, you know, we were kind of busy," JiHoon finished looking at the window. Mingyu made a face after the older words.  
  
"Don't talk about that stuff," Mingyu said, sticking his tongue out on disgust. JiHoon ignored him.  
  
"What's that person doing?" JiHoon asked still looking at the window, Mingyu looked at the window too. The back of the person was facing them. He seemed to be playing with the grass. The fluffy hair reminded Mingyu to someone but he couldn't get exactly who. He stood up and walked away, at any moment they could see his face.  
  
A ray of sun hit the place when he was and Mingyu saw a glimpse of something, JiHoon missed it because he was back at looking at him, worried. Mingyu took the white sheet and throw it aside as he stood fast as he could. The IV fell and he felt his arm burn as the needle left his skin.  
  
"Mingyu," he heard JiHoon call him as he ran clumsily to the door. Some nurses and security tried to stop him but he was a CCG investigator, they couldn't get him easily. He didn't know but he was smiling wide and bright, as a happy kid in Christmas morning.  
  
When Mingyu reached the spot he sat and saw the handle of his knife, the knife he used to stab 'Sloth'. Mingyu dug in to take the knife to find that the blade was covered in a dirtied paper.  
  
 _'Thank you about the other night. Hope to not finding you again in the same circumstances, either way I'll be protecting you silly CCG Investigator._  
 _-W'_  
  
Mingyu read in a carefully and beautiful handwriting. Mingyu moved his finger and he left a red trail on the paper. His hand was full of blood and was staining the paper.  
  
 _'PS: Go to a few Coffee Shops maybe you'll find me, not that you'll know'_  
  
The letter ended at the bottom and Mingyu smiled, he loved coffee. His arm throb, hurt from the lack of RC Intravenous he needed for his arm to get movement. At the moment he couldn't care less.  
  
"What was that ruckus all about?" JiHoon asked at his back and Mingyu shook his head.   
  
"Nothing, a sad joke," Mingyu answered and showed JiHoon the knife, a weapon that belonged to the CCG. JiHoon made a face as he took the weapon as Mingyu hid the letter in his underwear as it was the only place where he could hide something.  
  
"Whatever, I'll inform about this and you just go back to the hospital. Mingyu nodded as he stood. His world spin too fast and he thrown everything he had in his stomach over Jihoon's shoes before passing out.

 

* * *

  
  
  
If Mingyu was honest he didn't understood why the ghoul made him go around the districts for coffee. He didn't really minded it, he liked coffee, he liked the smell and even make it, back in his teens he worked as a barista and he was good at it. Mingyu smelled the cup in front of him and the strong smell of roasted coffee beans came to his nose and a wide smile appeared on his face.  
  
"Do you like it?" he heard the waiter ask him, a young man, slim with chubby cheeks (that made Mingyu want to pinch them) and reddish hair.  
  
"Yes, it taste wonderful, did you mixed it? which kind of beans?" Mingyu asked to afterwards take a sip to his cup. The boy blushed.  
  
"Oh boy, you noticed," he smiled. A wide smile drawn in his face. "Colombia, Guatemala and Brazilian beans," he answered swinging his body, back and front.  
  
"Nice choices," Mingyu said. "You have a bright future."  
  
"Thank you," the boy smiled sadly and left to attend another customer.  
  
The place was comfy, was nice and it really smelled like coffee, Mingyu let himself be drawn away a little by the sensations that not even the sound of the door bell distracted him.  
  
A black haired young man entered the shop with a book under his arm. He was using round glasses, a sweater that seemed a little too big for him and skinny jeans. He glanced at the waiter and went to sat in a table close to the window. He opened the book and started to read, stealing a few quick glances to Mingyu.  
  
Mingyu enjoyed the time, the smell and the coffee. He forgot for a moment the reason he was there. He even enjoyed the company of the waiter and the barista. Seungkwan and Vernon.  When he was about to leave Vernon put a paper over his table to the side of Mingyu's hand.   
  
"A customer left it for you," Vernon said, a soft broken Korean pronunciation drawn in his voice, thing that surprised Mingyu. He have heard him talk a few moments ago, perfect pronunciation. He was nervous. He fled under Mingyu's eyes as he unfolded the paper.  
  
 _'You've found me_  
 _-W'_  
  


* * *

  
  
  
"I like it," Mingyu said for, well, for the time he had already have said it that day. JiHoon passed his hand again through his freshly dyed hair. Bright pink. He looked good. Tiny, cute, as he couldn't even kill a fly. JiHoon could kill a fly with his bare hands.  
  
"Do you like it?" JiHoon asked as Mingyu took his cup of coffee. Mingyu just mumbled an affirmation. JiHoon waved his hand to the waiter to ask for another carrot cake and another cappuccino.  
  
"I don't have to like it," Mingyu said. "Seungcheol is the one that should like it," he took another sip of his cup of coffee as Seungkwan came with Jihoon's order.  
  
"What if he doesn't like it?" JiHoon asked. He took as much cake as he could in his fork to put it in his mouth.  
  
"He'll love it, I'm sure of it," Mingyu said as he studied the bookshelf at the wall. Some people came and took a book as leaved another one. The selection was big, from some classic to some romantic -and not so good- novels. Some curiosity was preying on his mind. JiHoon was eating his slice of cake as he tried to not kill somebody. Mingyu ignored him.  
  
"And Seungcheol is so honest," JiHoon said when Mingyu payed attention back to him.  
  
"He love you, he'll love it," Mingyu repeated as he looked back at the gleams eyes of the older and smiled.   
  
He didn't saw the young man standing and leaving a science fiction novel on the book shelf, taking another one. Seungkwan took the book the man left and disappeared behind the kitchen's door.  
  
"You look cute, ok, you look absolutely cute, Seungcheol would fuck you right away when he see you," Mingyu said, a way too loud. Their cheeks got bright red and Mingyu drown his embarrassment in the empty coffee cup.  
  
"I will kill you," JiHoon mumbled under his breath and Mingyu gulped. Oh, his life was long gone. Mingyu could help himself but laugh, he wasn't lying, JiHoon looked absolutely cute and even when he was mad he couldn't believe he could kill him, even when Mingyu was well aware the older would do it, no, he would just let him die on the field. That would be more JiHoon's style.  
  
"I'm sorry," Mingyu muttered. He looked at JiHoon who softened his glare. "I'm sorry, I know you hate it but pink is just cute," Mingyu said, as he waved to Vernon, asking him for the receipt.  
  
"Yeah, pink, cute," he said as he looked at the empty cup in his hand.  
  
Seungkwan came instead of Vernon, he handed the receipt to Mingyu, ignoring the angry yelling of the older one. JiHoon took Seungkwan's arm, harder than intended making Seungkwan moan and the sound made Vernon rush to his side.  
  
"I said, I'm gonna pay," JiHoon said as he handed his credit card to Seungkwan, ignoring Vernon's glaring.  
  
"The bill is already paid," Mingyu finished the discussion as he stood from the table. "I'm sorry for the disturbing," he bowed at Vernon and he just huffed walking away. Mingyu took a paper from the table when JiHoon wasn't looking.  
  
 _'Congratulations on your promotion_  
 _-W'_   
  
Was everything that was writing in the note and Seungkwan told him his bill was already paid. Mingyu felt hurt, felt something building inside him that wasn't a good feeling.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
A raid was on the corner. It have been many fights he had after his first encounter with the ghoul Sloth, the ghoul have helped him several times after that and Mingyu didn't found how to repay him. That night was a big raid and he didn't found a note tell him that his back was covered. Mingyu felt at ease. The ghoul might be safe at home, he thought as he prepared in line. The quinque was still a suitcase.  
  
He looked at his partner, as always, they will enter first to look, clean and inform. Benefits of being the higher up boyfriend and the partner of the best investigator in the country. JiHoon looked excited. This was a high ranked ghouls hideout and that would mean -for JiHoon- a more interesting fights. More deaths too.  
  
Their communication device came to life and heard Seungcheol's voice.  
  
"Ready,go!"  
  
They ran inside the old building. A few other investigators behind them. Ghouls were formed at the entrance as defense, not too strong as JiHoon sliced some of them with ease, a smile on his face without even drenching his white coat.  
  
"The second team can enter," Mingyu heard in his communicator as he fought a ghoul, he prayed for it's soul as he sliced his arm and heard the ghoul cry. Then the sliced the ghoul from it's shoulder to it's waist. The tail Mingyu had as a quinque wiggled a little when it hit the floor. He looked around to see the following team entering, passing them. Mingyu saw a few First Class between them and Associate Special Class, and then, at the end, winking at him, Special Class Jun. He rolled his eyes as he moved his arm to maneuver his quinque and hit a ghoul that was about attack him. An accurate slice on the stomach. He kept fighting, a hard deed with his quinque but he did his best.  
  
Mingyu looked around to find JiHoon but he had disappeared. Again. No use, JiHoon was like that. He ran to the upper floors. He saw already investigator corpses and ghouls. Ghouls, of course outnumbered them. For every fallen investigator were at least three fallen ghouls. Mingyu felt hurt. For the investigators and ghouls alike. He felt his heart sank as he stepped over a few bodies. For a second he got distracted as he saw an investigator dislocated neck. It was weird. Mingyu saw, at the corner of his eye the kagune. He moved his arm to protect himself but it was too late. He felt the heat on his arm as blood stained his coat. A funny feeling ran through his arm making him to release the grip on his quinque. Mingyu cursed under his breath as he ducked to dodge any attack from the ghoul, getting further and further from his quinque. His dominant hand getting numb. Mingyu's feet slipped into metal when he ducked. His chin hit a poodle of blood.  
  
The ghoul was about to attack him again when Mingyu's hand danced around the poodle to take another quinque, a sword shaped one, not one of the best, and one of Mingyu's least favorites. He swung the weapon with his hand -as he could- and cut the kagune. A muffled cry and he stabbed the ghoul and then decapitated it. He breathed. Mingyu didn't noticed he have been containing his breath.  
  
Mingyu kept walking to find First Class JiHoon. Mingyu could see -and sense- Jihoon's worry when he saw his wounded arm. As the raid was almost over they decided to leave. To go to the medical team and attend Mingyu's wound, when they got close their communication device came to life and JiHoon had to leave, Mingyu felt worthless as he walked to the doctors and nurses that were already treating someone.  
  
He was sitting on the bed of the medical team and he could hear in the distance the sound of the quinque against the kagunes. That ghoul one day will find his death, he thought as he could hear it's hurtful cry.  
  
His communicator went back to life and he heard Jihoon's voice. In his voice, Mingyu found an unknown tone.  
  
"I might need back up," Mingyu heard the rushed words and his heart stopped. "I'm facing the SS Ranked ghoul, coded Sloth," Mingyu's heart skipped a beat and when he wanted to stand up the nurse just stopped him. His wound might not be deep or big but it was in his old bruised arm and he need to rest it a bit. Be careful. He wanted to run back to JiHoon, Mingyu's presence could make the things easier, he thought, but RC medication was still unstable.  
  
Mingyu couldn't help, he felt bad. He felt it was his fault. His heart broke. He trusted someone and this just betrayed him. Being in the enemy's hideout, attacking his superior and partner. It was too much. When nobody was looking at him, Mingyu cried silently. It was all his fault.  
  
He ran to JiHoon when he heard he was back to the medical team, he joked, in between his worries.  
  
"It could have killed me," JiHoon said as the nurse bandaged his healing wound. Mingyu looked at him, eyes big as the surprise got him. "It could have killed me when I was looking for Seungcheol, but it didn't" JiHoon said, his expression softened and saddened as he pronounced it, as he wished it was a mistake, a miscalculation of the other party. Mingyu's heart jumped in joy, even when he wanted to have his feet down to earth.  
  
 _Could Mingyu trust a ghouls?_ He left the answer for another day.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
The next time Mingyu passed in front of the coffee shop he entered, he asked the barista for a cup of black coffee. He was new and had a wide smile that made Mingyu weary about him.  
  
"Hello," Vernon said. Not happy to see him there, he looked around the place, looking for something.  
  
"My superior is not with me today," Mingyu said, he startled the younger who shook his head.  
  
"No, Seungkwan, he has a crush on you and I don't want him to see you," he whispered as close as he could to Mingyu's ear, the height difference made Vernon angry. The guy on the other side of the counter faked a cough. Mingyu payed his coffee.   
  
"Can you do me a favor?" Mingyu asked Vernon, the young man looked at him expectant, not really answering the question but Mingyu took it as a yes. "Give it to the customer of always," he said as he gave a piece of paper. Vernon was dumbfounded by the broken routine of them. Anxiety and fear building within him. He placed the paper on his pocket and kept working.  
  
Mingyu left the shop, his heart on his throat. He tightened the grip on his suitcase as he walked straight, back to the Commission of Counter Ghoul Headquarters again.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
The sky was blue, the clouds were white. It was a good day. It was Mingyu's thoughts as he hold his quinque and faced the ghoul he fancied. The ghoul wasn't wearing a mask. Mingyu pushed his quinque against him holding his tears as he kept attacking. Every move was erratic, he was the only one there, because he had asked it. He asked JiHoon for that. A favor.  
  
"I trusted you," Mingyu said, moving his quinque, the ghoul just dodged every attack. A hurtful look in his black eyes.  
  
"Kill him now," Mingyu heard on his communication device. For a second he felt overwhelmed, he felt as he has the whole world over his shoulders. He thrown the quinque to a side and ripped the communication device from his ear. He covered his face as he cried.   
  
Bottled emotions bursted in the worst moment and he didn't cared if he was about to get killed on that good day by that ghoul he fancied. He loved the ghoul, Mingyu let himself be honest.  
  
"I'm sorry," Mingyu heard, and the deep voice made him shiver. Mingyu moved his hands a little just to uncover his eyes. He saw the ghoul in front of him. Frowning. He hugged the ghoul. He buried his face in the crook of the ghoul's neck -finding a uncomfortable position as Mingyu was a head taller-. He cried a little longer, hearing a muffled laugh, as the ghoul hugged him tight. There it was again. There was Mingyu, being intimate and so close with someone -or something, as JiHoon politely would say- he barely know and he was supposed to be killing. The thought made his eyes wet again and thighed the grip on the ghoul, wanting to end it. To become another person, to make him human.  
  
Mingyu forgot everything. Who he was. Who he was hugging. A foreign sound came to his ears but it was somehow familiar. He opened his eyes to see a kagune, bright red. Mingyu felt the ghoul push him closer, not letting him go. He blushed. Oh, this was too intimate, no matter who see it.  
  
"Mingyu," he heard JiHoon gasp and the sound of his quinque. Mingyu's cheeks burned. He wanted to be buried in the ground. Five thousands kilometers, please.  
  
"Let me go," Mingyu whispered. The ghouls released his grip just a little, enough to let him turn around. His cheeks red, making him dizzy. Mingyu felt the ghoul's hand thigh in his waist. He felt it, even over the thick layers of fabric over his body. For a moment, for a tiny bit fraction of a second Mingyu felt like a princess, like a damsel in distress. He shook his head, leaving all those thoughts behind. Forgetting them, they weren't of any help at the moment. "I'm ok," he said. Mingyu pushed the ghoul by the shoulders and felt empty when the hand was gone. He looked every detail of the ghoul's face and he loved every part of it, the eyes, the lips, his nose. His thoughts wandered and he forgot everything -once again-.  
  
Mingyu raised his arm, and did a slight movement of his hand. He didn't moved when he felt surrounded by the investigators. The ghoul pressed himself against Mingyu, burying his face on Mingyu's coat.  
  
"I reclaim the rights over this ghoul," Mingyu said, pressing the ghoul's head strongly against his chest. His voice trembling in embarrassment. JiHoon cleared his throat.  
  
"You want to send him to cochlea?" JiHoon asked.  
  
"No, he'll stay with me," Mingyu said. "Can you please stop pointing at me with those guns?" Mingyu looked around, the guns pointing to the ghoul which kagune was still on sight.  
  
"You're hugging a SS Ranked ghoul, remember," JiHoon said moving his arm, the arms retracted alongside the kagune. No need for it as he didn't need to protect Mingyu anymore.  
  
"Yeah, that... can we...?" Mingyu mumbled as he just let his arms fall to his side. The ghoul separated from him. He was as red as Mingyu was and it was more prominent because of his white skin.  
  
"I'm sorry," the ghoul repeated.  
  
"I want him to stay with me," Mingyu said to JiHoon. JiHoon just frowned, he didn't agreed to this (and nobody would he thought). "I'll talk with Special Class Seungcheol myself," Mingyu said. "Can you tell me your name?" His words were directed to the ghoul and for the first time JiHoon noticed that they didn't get too far from each other, as if they were glued together.  
  
"Jeon Wonwoo," JiHoon heard and saw how Mingyu caressed his cheek. JiHoon felt disgusted as he felt the love and something else between them -something else because he wouldn't say intimacy, the sole thought made him gag-. He gave quick orders to everyone including Mingyu before he left them in their own bubble.  
  
JiHoon wanted to explode it, to break it, to destroy it. To make order, but that would be a mean thing to do, he thought as he thought of his own lover.  
  
"I like it, your name, I mean," Mingyu said awkwardly as  the man in front of him giggled. "I'm Kim Mingyu, by the way." Mingyu took Wonwoo's arm by the wrist. "We have to go to the headquarters, I need to sort everything out, what to tell my superiors, oh boy, what have I done?" He rushed his words.  
  
"I can help," Wonwoo said as he followed Mingyu's steps.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm a ghoul and I hold a lot of information," Wonwoo said, stopping. "I just need your people to stop killing blindly," he finished. Mingyu smiled, a smile that blinded Wonwoo. Mingyu kissed Wonwoo forehead to retook his walking to take one of the vans, Wonwoo following him silently.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Mingyu was kneeling in front of Wonwoo, caressing his arms in a reassuring manner while Seungcheol talked with the higher ups about Wonwoo. The idea of him helping them was not crazy, it was normal but not having him on cochlea was new. Mingyu moved his arms from Wonwoo's arms to his face, making Wonwoo to face him.  
  
"If this goes wrong, I'll protect you," Mingyu said.  
  
"Oh, my silly CCG investigator," Wonwoo replied. "I'm not worried about me, I can kill them easily, I'm worried about you," he said caressing Mingyu's cheek.  
  
"We can run away," Mingyu's cheerful tone was cut by the sound of the door. They were no longer dangerously close. The expectant eyes of the boys made Seungcheol uncomfortable. Being under judging eyes was normal, but someone expecting something, was new. Seungcheol faked a cough.  
  
"The chairman agreed," Seungcheol said and could see how Mingyu suppressed a scream. He smiled a little. "He cannot be alone."  
  
"I'll be with him 24/7," Mingyu said saluting. Seungcheol blurted out a laugh and in the corner of his eye he saw the ghoul smile at Mingyu's silliness.  
  
"I can see that," Seungcheol said, walking through the the corridors to his own office. "There's another important matter," his smile faded. Seungcheol heart crumpled at the thought. "I wish to talk it to you, privately," he continued watching how the boys intertwined their hands. It felt foreign somehow, not that he wasn't used to do it, to see it, it was the feeling surrounding it. It was something that only they could feel and understand.  
  
Seungcheol opened the door of his office with a creak. He let the boys enter, they have shared a though because the were standing on opposite sides of the big desk.   
  
"It's regarding the information Wonwoo gave us," Seungcheol said, looking for some papers. "The half-ghoul," Wonwoo gulped as he handed him stack of papers with a picture of someone known, he stroked it, tears on his eyes.  
  
"You promise me you wouldn't touch him," Wonwoo said. Mingyu didn't move.  
  
"We won't," Seungcheol said. "The fact remains..." He paused looking at the boys that looked so far, so distant and so needy. Mingyu hold the urge to hug the ghoul, to encourage him because he felt broken. Wonwoo never told anyone the name of the half-ghoul (maybe Mingyu knew and he didn't said a word), and yet, there it was his name and his face, everything. "The idea of a half-ghoul is crazy, morbid," Seungcheol said. "Nevertheless, the chairman wants to make hybrids, but more synthetic," Seungcheol walked to Wonwoo, taking him by the arms, a reassuring manner that Mingyu appreciated. "I don't want to make people live the hell he has been living, but a natural kagune would be beneficial to us,"   
  
"No matter how many hybrids you make, I won't let you finish with all of us" Wonwoo brushed Seungcheol's hands from his arms. "Did you told them?" Wonwoo asked showing the picture to Mingyu.   
  
"Not a word, you know very well I wouldn't," Mingyu answered.  
  
"You have enough capable investigators to kill the dangerous ghouls, with my help will be a piece of cake but, what you're trying to make is sick," He thrown the papers on the desk, pushing Seungcheol when he was about to leave the room. Mingyu bowed when he followed the ghoul.  
  
 _True, true, true._ Seungcheol thought. He yelled at nothing as he pushed everything in his desk to the floor. It was so fucking sick but it was decided so he would the things flow no matter how much he hated it.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Training was everything. Every Ghoul Investigator knew it. Mingyu knew it but Wonwoo did not. He would be part of every raid now and he had to train but Wonwoo would rather read a book than sweat and tire his body. Wonwoo was sitting in a corner of the room, changing the page of his book from time to time. Mingyu trained a little with a wood sword (not that he liked it but that was a way better than his regular ribbon, dancing around like a ballerina).  
  
"You use a tail, bikaku, why to train with a sword," Wonwoo asked without taking his eyes from his book. He passed the page and the sound broke the silence.  
  
"It's embarrassing," Mingyu said striking another shot. "I use a ribbon, it's harder to manage but when you can do it the quinque becomes a piece of cake," he said moving again. Wonwoo giggled at the thought. "You should train with me, you know," he said, dropping the sword to the floor, sitting by Wonwoo's side. Wonwoo looked at him over his book. He took Mingyu's arm.  
  
"Our best training comes with food," Wonwoo said opening his mouth wide, forgetting manners and aesthetic.  
  
"Wait!" Mingyu shrieked. Wonwoo laugh was loud and startled Mingyu more than the previous action.  
  
"You're so dumb," Wonwoo said placing a piece of paper in between the pages he left his reading. "But I cannot just go using my kagune without having enough fuel," he said looking at Mingyu's eyes. He took a towel he had close to clean the sweat on Mingyu's forehead and neck.  
  
"How much did you eat?" Mingyu asked. Wonwoo stopped the track of his action.   
  
"Do you really wanna know?" Wonwoo replied sitting back, placing his book on his lap, playing with the pages.  
  
"Yes, I do."   
  
"I'm a high ranked ghoul. We are know for our strength and kagune," Wonwoo said replying one of Jihoon's classes in his mind. "It means a high level of RC Cells which means a great consumption of human meat." He heard Mingyu gulp at his side. "A body, once a week," he finished.  
  
"Once a week?"  
  
"Sometimes in between it was a ghoul's body," Wonwoo said. "But I don't tend to do it, Vernon kept telling me I got all depressed and crazy sometimes, consume a ghoul body was a rollercoaster for me," he said.  
  
"Train will mean..."  
  
"Train will mean drain energy, maybe with consumption of coffee restored but, in my case it makes me hungry, really hungry, and hungry is hell for a ghoul," Wonwoo finished the discussion when he reopened his book.  
  
"You're consuming less than a body monthly, don't you feel hungry?" Mingyu asked.  
  
"Mingyu, is better for you to not know how, when and how much meat I consume," he said placing a kiss on Mingyu's  temple, tasting his sweat. Sweet, sickly sweet. Just as Mingyu. Mingyu just nodded retaking his training.  
  
"Next time bring the ribbon," Wonwoo said, making Mingyu blush.

* * *

  
  
As they walked, Wonwoo hung on Mingyu's arm, tip toeing to talk to him to his ear. Whispering, as if every talk of them were a secret.  
  
"I like it as much as you do," Mingyu said, a little annoyed as the ghoul kept pushing his buttons.  
  
"Mingyu," Wonwoo said, letting Mingyu go and hitting his arm.  
  
"Wonwoo," Mingyu replied.  
  
"Do something," Wonwoo exclaimed stopping his tracks.  
  
"I cannot do ANYTHING!" Mingyu yelled, his yelling was because he felt helpless, so useless and Wonwoo didn't helped him a little bit.  
  
"Problems in the paradise?" they heard and turned to see JiHoon. His smug face made Wonwoo frown and made Mingyu want to punch him.  
  
"Shut up!" Wonwoo muttered when he passed at Jihoon's side. Feeling a little overwhelmed when he saw all the faces staring at him. Mingyu came to his side, messing with his hair. Wonwoo breathed, standing behind Mingyu when he sat. Wonwoo's hand rested on Mingyu's shoulder.  
  
Seungcheol cleared his throat. Everyone turned and looked at him.  
  
"This meeting is to talk about the Quinx," Seungcheol said and the sole mention of the name made Wonwoo glare at him. His grip on Mingyu's shoulder tensed, making Mingyu sob silently. "Doctor Jiang will tell you the specifications about the surgery, this plans is still in it's test mode," Seungcheol said pointing at the man sitting beside him. "Nevertheless, we already got our test subjects."  
  
Mingyu's hand rested on Wonwoo's, caressing it. Wonwoo really appreciated the touch but it didn't helped. He needed a little more now that he would hear about what sickening thing the would do to a bunch of youngsters for the sake of some silly and really stupid bunch of misunderstandings.  
  
"Thank you Special Class Seungcheol," Doctor Jiang said. He walked to the board on the side of the room. "The surgery procedure is to insert a kakuhou in the patient but this by itself will be a high risk operation," he said just looking at the people in the room, letting his eyes fall onto Wonwoo. Making Wonwoo uncomfortable.  
  
"Let's make this clear," Seungcheol interrupted. "Create hybrids will mean create more ghouls, that's not our plan."  
  
"That's why we created a case for the kakuhou," Doctor Jiang continued, in the blackboard they could see what it appeared to be a crystal cube. "It is made of quinque steel," he continued. "It will contain the kakuhou and this won't be spreading to the organs and cells but will be still able to increase the RC count," the Doctor changed the image. Wonwoo's head wasn't there anymore. He kept thinking about that, would that work?  
  
"From where would you get the kakuhous?" Wonwoo asked, interrupting the Doctor and what it seemed the risk of the operation.  
  
"Well, that's not a matter I should be discussing with you," the Doctor said.  
  
"From where you would be taking the kakuhous?" Mingyu said, challenging.  
  
"It's not your place First Class Kim Mingyu," the Doctor said. The room got silent in surprise on Mingyu's challenge to a superior.  
  
"True," Mingyu said. "I'm not the reason why I am sitting in this table, with all of you," Mingyu said, standing. He pushed Wonwoo on the chair he was previously sitting, hearing people gasp. "He has all the right to question anything," He finished.  
  
"You better answer it," Jun said from behind a big man. "I don't know Wonwoo but as long as I know Kim Mingyu, this could last hours, so just give him a damn answer," he said. Not annoyed but amused.  
  
"Is it synthetical?" Wonwoo asked.  
  
"We're planning on two synthetical kakuhous and one natural," the Doctor answered. Wonwoo let out a little shriek.  
  
"It's ok," Mingyu whispered to his ear.   
  
"The test subject for the natural kakuhou, how do we know he's suitable for it," JiHoon asked when he saw the names. He was interested on one subject, professionally talking.  
  
"We don't know," Seungcheol answered.   
  
"So all of this is based on a probability," Jun claimed.  
  
"More or less," The Doctor said. "The synthetical kakuhous will be not much of a problem, they might work or not, but a natural might be kind of unstable."  
  
"What will happen if the kakuhou goes wild in the host?" Wonwoo asked once again. "Are you planning on killing him?"   
  
"No," Seungcheol answered, calm with Wonwoo's outbursts. "We're not planning to kill someone just because our experiment went wrong, nevertheless if it makes the test subject mentally unstable we have to put it on consideration."  
  
"They payment," JiHoon interrupted. "What you're about to give them monthly is what you pay us yearly," he said, clearly annoyed. "And even if they left or die we have to keep paying," he said.  
  
"Yes, If they die in the operating room, we have to have a monthly payment. It's a high risk experiment, it's what we can give them to ensure their safety," Seungcheol said. His knuckles getting white.  
  
"What about not doing this, this whole research is absurd," Jun said and Mingyu knew, somehow, it was something else. "Why the high ranked ghoul isn't enough?" He asked, he wasn't glaring, he wasn't mean and the words didn't meant to hurt Wonwoo.  
  
"I asked the same," Wonwoo said, looking at Jun's eyes. "My information will make the things about a 60% easier for the CCG,"  
  
"We still need new resources," Seungcheol answered.   
  
"That means you don't trust Wonwoo," Mingyu said.  
  
"I do," Seungcheol said and everyone looked at him, dumbfounded. "But not the chairman."  
  
Wonwoo sat Mingyu back on the chair, whispering something to his ear.  
  
"Does the subjects knows about their new mentor?" Mingyu asked.  
  
"Yes, no one of them hold a grudge on ghouls," Someone answered.  
  
"I'm sorry, Doctor, you can keep going," Mingyu said, a mocking smile on his lips. The Doctor continued with his presentation, no many interruptions.  
  
Jun leaned over the table.   
  
"Wonwoo, your eyes," Jun said, trying to be discreet about the matter but took the eyes of some people. Many of them with their hand griped on their quinque. Wonwoo's eyes have turned red. His kakugan activated against his will. Wonwoo covered his left eye with a hand.   
  
"Are you that hungry?" Mingyu asked over his shoulder, Wonwoo's cheek turned red in embarrassment.  
  
"A little too hungry to my liking," he simply answered. Mingyu looked at Wonwoo and how embarrassed he felt that his hunger was shown. Mingyu forgot where he was, he pushed his chair a little and pulled Wonwoo onto his lap. He felt strange that Wonwoo got all red to the neck but he was thinking only about the ghoul. JiHoon cleared his throat and Mingyu's bubble exploded.  
  
"I'm sorry," Mingyu said and he saw all the faces looking at them. Twelve faces, some blank, some angry, some surprised -and even amused- and there was some flushing.  
  
"Please behave and let us continue," Seungcheol said and when Mingyu was about to push Wonwoo away from his lap he felt Wonwoo inhaling his scent as he buried his flushed face on the crook of Mingyu's neck.  
  
"Hey," Mingyu whispered under the eyes of twelve people.  
  
"I'm too hungry," Wonwoo said. Almost like a pained cry.   
  
"Damn," Mingyu muttered. "There's by any chance an opportunity for us to leave?," Mingyu asked stroking Wonwoo's back.  
  
"Mingyu, sort your priorities," JiHoon hissed. Mingyu ignored him.  
  
"Special Class Seungcheol," Mingyu pleaded.  
  
"It's about to end, can you wait?" Seungcheol said, annoyed.  
  
"Of course," Mingyu said and pushed Wonwoo out of his lap, the ghoul whimpered. "Just wait."  
  
It didn't took too much time for the meeting to finish. Little by little everyone started to leave. JiHoon stayed with Mingyu.  
  
"I'm sorry," Mingyu said when he saw JiHoon glaring at him. It was his superior judging his previous action and down there Mingyu knew he was also proud of him (just by the fact he challenged a superior, that was something Jihoom could be proud of). "He's hungry, he doesn't get enough food," he said and he regretted his words afterwards. Jihoon's eyes opened wide, surprised by the sudden revelation, it wasn't something a human could say, cry over a ghoul's feeding habits. Mingyu didn't wait for Jihoon's reply when he pulled Wonwoo back on his lap and this time the ghoul took no time to rip open the first buttons on Mingyu's shirt. Wonwoo fast dug his teeth on Mingyu's shoulder, tasting his blood. He didn't bit to take a chunk of meat between his teeth but to drink like a Vampire. Sucking the wound to get more. Sometimes feeling overexcited.  
  
"Mingyu," JiHoon shrieked.  
  
"It's ok," Mingyu replied. His voice sounding a little pained. It stung a little but Mingyu could handle the pain.  
  
"What's is that thing doing?" JiHoon asked, worried about his underling health.  
  
"Feeding," Mingyu answered. Wonwoo dug a little more his teeth. "Easy there," he said pushing Wonwoo a little.   
  
"Sorry," Wonwoo said and he cleaned the corner of his mouth with his tongue. "I want some coffee," he said happily.   
  
"After the paper work," Mingyu said, forgetting completely JiHoon presence. JiHoon faked a cough. "Sorry," Mingyu said, an apologetic smile drawn on his handsome face. "Wonwoo can you wait outside," Mingyu asked. The boy nodded.  
  
"I'll look something for that," Wonwoo said.  
  
"I know what you're thinking, and I'm not doing something bad," Mingyu began. "Wonwoo is a good person and I'm treating him with care, just that."  
  
"Too much care," JiHoon retorted.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm missing the implication you want to give there."  
  
"You two look like lovers, you know, too close," JiHoon said. "Don't let your feelings for him to blind you.  
  
"We're not lovers," Mingyu said, keeping the 'yet' to himself. "We just care for each other."  
  
"Then don't let other people think the opposite," JiHoon finished as he stood. "I'm worried about you."  
  
"You don't need to be worried."

* * *

  
  
  
Mingyu wanted to go to the promotions, he wanted to see his mentor and superior getting it but Wonwoo, Wonwoo didn't liked to do many things and dress up as an investigator was something he wouldn't want to live or do.  
  
"Just for a while," Mingyu pleaded. Wonwoo looked at him over his book. The puppy eyes, his pouting. Wonwoo groaned in anger.  
  
"Ok," Wonwoo agreed, putting his book on the side. "Do I really have to use the suit?" He answered looking at the white uniform.  
  
"Yeah, Seungcheol told me, as you're working as a mentor, you're officially a CCG investigator," Mingyu said handing the uniform to Wonwoo. "Just put the damn thing on, I want to see JiHoon hyung."  
  
"You really like him, don't you?" Wonwoo said as he started to undress himself in front of Mingyu.  
  
"Yes," Mingyu answered, embarrassed. "I know it not might seem like this to you but he's a really nice person."  
  
"Mingyu, this doesn't fit me," Wonwoo said.   
  
"Oh my," Mingyu said laughing. He slapped Wonwoo's hands as he fixed his suit. "I have been with you for almost two years, I know your sizes," he said buttoning the jacket, fixing every detail to make him look good.  
  
"Let's stay for a few minutes," Wonwoo said, hugging Mingyu by the waist. "I don't like those people, they judge you."  
  
"I don't really mind," Mingyu said as he hugged Wonwoo back.  
  
"I do because it's my fault after all."  
  
"There will be free food," Mingyu said.  
  
"So they will have some human meat for me there?" Wonwoo asked and Mingyu gasped. "It's okay, let's go." Mingyu leaned to kiss Wonwoo on the lips. It was a new thing, they never did. Just a peck on the lips but was enough. Wonwoo hugged Mingyu by the neck pushing him down for another kiss. They kissed for a while, a few seconds, maybe a minute, it was slow, it was something both wanted.  
  
"I need to fix your hair," Mingyu breathed when they parted their kiss. Wonwoo nodded with bright red cheeks. Mingyu left and Wonwoo tried his best to not whine. Mingyu combed his hair, with some delicacy that made Wonwoo smile.  
  
They were late for the ceremony so they could only attend the dinner, he easily spotted Jihoon's lilac hair. He entered the hall with an arm around Wonwoo's shoulder. When they stepped everything got silent, Mingyu knew it was because the uniform Wonwoo was wearing, it was something symbolic in it for many investigators and Wonwoo wearing it it wasn't a proper thing. JiHoon thought the same as he saw his face, glaring at Wonwoo. Soonyoung at his side punched him then ran towards Wonwoo.  
  
"You look good," Soonyoung said with his characteristic smile and Wonwoo smiled to him.  
  
"Thank you," he simply said.  
  
"A perfect fit," Soonyoung kept saying as he looked around the boy.  
  
"Thank you," Mingyu said proudly.  
  
"So you got him the uniform," Soonyoung asked, implying something in his words that Mingyu didn't quite get it.  
  
"Special Class Seungcheol gave it to me as a gift," Mingyu said. "Can you accompany Wonwoo for a moment," Soonyoung nodded.   
  
"He will be happy to see you," Soonyoung simply said. Wonwoo was his friend and his mentor. He got quite fond of the ghoul once he got to know him.  
  
Mingyu ran towards JiHoon, smiling widely.  
  
"Congratulations Hyung," Mingyu said. His eyes wandering a little bit to Wonwoo as he was worried. JiHoon frowned by this action.  
  
"Thank you," JiHoon said.  
  
"You should talk to Wonwoo," Mingyu said. Mingyu liked and loved Wonwoo and he surely and obviously loved and respected JiHoon, he wanted his world to be happy, to be perfect, that was Mingyu. "He's really nice," Mingyu said pouting.  
  
"It's a ghoul," JiHoon hissed.  
  
"He might be a ghoul but he's still a human being, he deserve some respect," Mingyu said, afraid of JiHoon reaction and when he saw he was glaring at him he felt bad.  
  
"It's a ghoul, it have no feelings, it's just using you to get you and eat you," JiHoon said, raising his voice. Mingyu's heart sank, he felt like crying but overall he felt angry at JiHoon, and how heartless he seemed to be.  
  
"I'm sorry," JiHoon said. Mingyu smiled at him because the words felt honest.   
  
"Be careful with your words Hyung, he's a way too sensitive," Mingyu said patting his shoulder to leave him alone, he knew Wonwoo needed him.  
  
When they leaved the hall, Wonwoo hugged him tight and cried. Mingyu felt anger and guilt.  
  


* * *

  
 

  
Wonwoo and Mingyu were sitting in front of a table, hearing the squad's new information. There was Quinx squad, JiHoon was their mentor and Mingyu and Wonwoo the squad leader. Also there was Jun's squad.   
  
"That's a bait," Wonwoo said as he looked the information they got. "This area is not free but the ghoul's inside it are the calm ones."  
  
"Don't let your feelings blind you," Jun said over his papers.  
  
"I'm not, we might be a carnivorous beings but some of us still got some morals," Wonwoo said. "I know the ghouls living there, if something were wrong or it was a strange movement they had the obligation to tell me."  
  
"Obligation?" JiHoon asked.  
  
"I was the strongest ghoul in the area, most of them don't even know how to hunt," Wonwoo said, ignoring the looks he was getting.  
  
"Wait," someone said, the youngest one in the room. "There are ghoul's who doesn't know how to hunt?" He asked innocently. Wonwoo smiled.  
  
"Yes Chan, there are ghouls who doesn't know how to hunt," Wonwoo said. "Is easy to overpower a human but some doesn't have the heart to kill or simply don't know how to fight." Chan mouth muttered a cute oh making Wonwoo feel like a proud father. "This is more like a challenge," Wonwoo said out loud to Mingyu.  
  
"What do you mean?" Mingyu asked.  
  
"Those are my grounds, I'm the head and they're making the CCG go there," Wonwoo answered resting his chin on his hands, thinking. "They know," he said looking at Mingyu, forgetting everyone else. "They know I'm working with you."  
  
"Of course they will know, I have been going with you," Mingyu said.  
  
"If you knew Kim Mingyu," Wonwoo said.  
  
"If I knew what, are you cheating?" Mingyu said and Wonwoo laughed, taking Mingyu's hand.  
  
"'Curse not, my silly CCG investigator," Wonwoo said, rubbing Mingyu's hand with his thumb. Jihoon cleared his throat. His bubble broke and they blushed.   
  
"They're challenging me, we were been players for some time," Wonwoo said, blushing for a different reason. "I can call to confirm any change on their feeding habits, but there's no way someone had been murdered in my grounds without my notice," he kept saying and stood up. "As I previously said, their feeding habits goes from," Wonwoo said as he took a marker and circled where he knew there was "Angel" and "Priest" grounds. "Here to here, also, lately, they been playing around here," he said marking a tiny circle at Hongdae.  
  
"There isn't any report there," Soonyoung said looking at his papers.  
  
"No, because Angel is a pretty cute boy," Wonwoo said. "Also he eats a fucking lot," he said with a disgusted face.  
  
"What do you mean?," Jun asked.  
  
"He even eats the bones," Wonwoo said, as it was nothing. "He's the cleanest eater I know."  
  
"How do you know him?" a stuttering voice called out.  
  
"Let's not go there Minghao," Wonwoo answered as he got close to the boy. A tin, tall boy with dirty blonde hair. He ruffled his hair and went to sit besides Mingyu.  
  
"I want to know too," JiHoon said. Wonwoo glared at him until Mingyu hit him. Wonwoo rolled his eyes.  
  
"Okay," Wonwoo said. "Most of us wander and don't have a family, at the end we fall in the hands of people like Angel or Priest," Wonwoo started to play with his hands. "It's easy, kill, steal, eat. You get to live and get stronger," he said. He wasn't proud of his past. "I knew them when I was like that, that's how I got my rank and name."  
  
"You were friends with them," MingHao asked, getting stuck in every other word.  
  
"A few years ago, yes," Wonwoo said. "Stop talking about me," he blushed.  
  
"It couldn't help us, that you know them," Jun asked.  
  
"Don't know, we got a big fight, I almost killed Angel, Priest hates me and now they're challenging me," Wonwoo said shrugging. Mingyu laughed.  
  
"I'm pretty sure is a no," Mingyu said.  
  
"More or less," Wonwoo answered. "Angel is really clean when eating, Priest not, we can look for something that can be linked to him," Wonwoo said.  
  
"Can I ask you something?" JiHoon said, looking at Wonwoo as he leaned over the table.  
  
"Tell me," Wonwoo answered.  
  
"Why don't you call the by their names? Are you still fond of them?" JiHoon said.  
  
"No," Wonwoo simply answered. "They never said their real names, they called themself with pet names," Wonwoo said recalling their time together. "And as ghouls, I doubt their names were real," he finished.  
  
"Can you check them out?" Mingyu asked.  
  
"Yes, later I'll call Seokmin," Wonwoo answered.  
  
"So, all my information is wrong?" Someone said.  
  
"No, it's all good," Wonwoo and Mingyu answered at the same.  
  
"It still helps to know their plan," JiHoon said as he looked over his paper to the man and smiled at him. A reassuring smile.  
  
When they finished the meeting everyone left, leaving just JiHoon and Soonyoung talking -or better, discussing-, silently at the back of the room, too close. Mingyu just glanced a little over his shoulder to see Soonyoung pouting and JiHoon frowning, he thought it was weird but he didn't minded a lot as Wonwoo took his hand and whispered something to his ear. Mingyu ran towards his younger underling, pulling him by the hoodie he was wearing under his white coat.  
  
"Chan," Mingyu said. "You and MingHao, go to train or wanna come with me and Wonwoo hyung," he said smiling, the boy chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"We will train," he answered a way to loudly.  
  
"Eat you meal," Wonwoo said.  
  
"Yes boss," Chan smiled and hugged Wonwoo. "Let's go for coffee soon."  
  
"'Curse," Wonwoo said as he walked off Chan's view followed by Mingyu. "We need to go to the coffee shop."  
  
"Why? I still need to do some paperwork," Mingyu said pouting. Wonwoo ignored him.  
  
"I cannot just call them," Wonwoo said, he took Mingyu's arm and pulled him down until his lips brushed Mingyu's ear. "I need to eat," he whispered. So low that the sound barely came to Mingyu's ear even when Wonwoo's lips were so close to it. Mingyu nodded.  
  
"I need coffee," Mingyu said, sounding over excited that it felt almost fake that Wonwoo laughed.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Wonwoo have already placed his book in front of him and Mingyu, a wall between them, not that Mingyu minded it. Mingyu liked to see Wonwoo absorbed on reading and see his fingers changing the page. Seungkwan came with two cups of coffee. Black coffee for both.  
  
"Aren't you bored?" Seungkwan asked Mingyu kneeling besides the table. Looking at Mingyu with a crooked smile.  
  
"Fuck off," Wonwoo said as he took the coffee.  
  
"Don't be mean with the barista," Seungkwan said as he stood.  
  
"Don't flirt with the customers," Wonwoo said flipping the page.  
  
"Yes, manager," Seungkwan said. Wonwoo handed him a piece of paper and Seungkwan left.  
  
Wonwoo kept reading, Mingyu watched him, sipping on his cup of coffee.  
  
"Don't you gonna ask?" Mingyu asked and Wonwoo looked at him.  
  
"I already did," Wonwoo said as he glanced back to his book, changing the page once again. Mingyu nodded not understanding what Wonwoo meant. Wonwoo closed his book with a sigh and took a sip of his cup. The bitter taste made him smile a little. "Finished," he hummed as he stood up to leave the book on the bookshelves at the back of the coffee shop. Taking another book, humming softly.  
  
He went to sit again, this time besides Mingyu, pushing his hips to close to the taller one making him blush. He opened the book.  
  
"Here," Woonwo took a paper and handed it to Mingyu. "Is what we got by now, our grounds are the same, they planted bodies and clues," he said pointing stuff in the messy handwriting. "Sorry, it's not much and we're trying to get on their whereabouts," Wonwoo smiled, placing a kiss on Mingyu's cheek. Drank from his coffee cup and got up again. Mingyu look for him over his shoulder, Wonwoo waved at him and disappeared behind a door it said "Employees only", Mingyu looked back at his coffee, it was bitter and barely liked it but he liked to please Wonwoo sometimes.  
  
Mingyu raised his arm, waving his hand a little. Vernon came after a few minute.  
  
"Please bring me a cappuccino," Mingyu said, almost like a plead.  
  
"Sure," Vernon said. "You don't need to ask the same, you know," he said looking at the empty cups. "He doesn't mind," he left humming something that didn't really seemed like a song at all. Mingyu smiled as he watched his back disappear behind the counter as he started to prepare his beverage.  
  
It felt so nice to be there. Mingyu knew their secret and that made the place even more comfortable. He looked the tiny paper Wonwoo gave him and read the handwriting, messy and rushed.  
  
 _'No unusual movements in the area. No sight from Angel or Priest. Trail of blood and new ghoul on certain areas. New feeding grounds were found.'_  
  
Wonwoo came back with the cappuccino and placed it in front of Mingyu.   
  
"Surprise," he said as he sat beside him. Mingyu looked at the cup and the kitten drawn in it.   
  
"You should let them do it once in a while," Mingyu said kissing Wonwoo's lips getting a metallic taste from them. At the back of Mingyu's head he felt disgusted but he let it go.  
  
"I like to do yours," Wonwoo answered passing the book pages to the very first page. Starting to read under the vigilant eyes of his partner Mingyu who drank from his cappuccino happily humming and tapping on the table as Wonwoo read. Forgetting a little about problems and life, enjoying the time they got.  
  
\----  
 

  
The room spun again and again as Mingyu played with his chair. He was bored, he was alone and the work was almost done. He hated paperwork and as a squad leader he had to do not just do his but five people. Advances, changes, teamwork, all what happened behind closed doors. Not all of them of course, how he would talk about him and Wonwoo? It wasn't a secret but he wasn't gonna talk about it or how much he loved Wonwoo but as he spent most of his time with him it was hard to sort off work and pleasure. Also he had to hide some other things.  
  
They were together, yes. As long as the CCG knew, they managed his consumption of meat and as long as he knew -and cared- he only eat a body a month (the CCG knew about less consumption). Lies were hard.  
  
Something stopped his chair. His first thought was Wonwoo, so Mingyu stood up, reaching to kiss him.  
  
"What the fuck?" He heard as someone pushed him by the chin.  
  
"What on earth?" Mingyu cried as he heard his neck creek. When he opened his eyes he saw lilac hair and his cheek burned. "I thought you were Wonwoo,"   
  
"I thought so," JiHoon said. "Where is it?"  
  
"Training Chan," Mingyu said.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be with him?" JiHoon asked sitting in the chair Mingyu previously was using.  
  
"He got his free card," Mingyu said as he tidied up the papers.  
  
"Free card?"  
  
"He can be alone as long as he is with a squad member," Mingyu said. "I thought Seungcheol had told you."  
  
"We aren't talking anymore," JiHoon said looking at his lap. "Why aren't you training with them?"  
  
"Kagune," Mingyu replied. "I need to deliver this to Seungcheol, see you around," he said waving the papers and about to leave the room.  
  
"Don't be awkward," JiHoon said. "I broke up with him, no big deal."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Whatever," JiHoon said taking Mingyu's papers. "I'll give it to him, I also need to give him some stuff," he said taking the papers from his hands. "Go and find your boyfriend, I'm pretty sure Chan want to steal him from you," he drawn a crooked smile on his lips.  
  
"Shut up," Mingyu said blushing.  
  
"I forgot, Jun just told me, they set a date for the raid," JiHoon said. "You better get ready, is in five days, this time you'll need a will."  
  
"I always write one."  
  
"What?" JiHoon was dumbfounded.  
  
"It's have been always for you, mostly, the lies I have told and things I regret," Mingyu looked at the floor as he talked. He was embarrassed to say about the contents of his testament.  
  
"I always leave it blank," JiHoon said. "I'm sure I will come back, there's no need to think on my death when there will be none."  
  
"True," Mingyu smiled. "But is not the same for me, I'm careless and I've trusted a ghoul before, I could been killed at any time." JiHoon got close to him and hugged him tight.  
  
"I'll be careful," Mingyu said answering the hug happily. "You too be careful."  
  
"I'll be careful Kim Mingyu," JiHoon said jokingly. "Just because you ask me to."  
  


* * *

  
  
  
There would be a lie if Mingyu did say that he didn't felt uneasy that day. Before they went out the cottage they shared with the Quinx and JiHoon, Mingyu hugged Wonwoo and kissed him, it felt like something he had to do. Wonwoo have complained about not breathing before Mingyu let him go with a broken smile.  
  
"Time to go," JiHoon said as he left the house, followed by Soonyoung, too happy that Mingyu got worried he didn't took this raid seriously.  
  
"Yes," Mingyu said. "Kids, don't worry, everything will be ok, just follow orders and don't fight someone stronger, any complication, call for back ups," he said smiling, trying to make them more confident, they were kids after all. Chan just hit the age of seventeen and was putting his life on the line. Mingyu opened his arms and both kids ran to hug him. Everything will be ok he knew.  
  
"The testaments," Chan said waving the folded paper.  
  
"You're handing them to JiHoon, JiHoon will hand them to Special Class Seungcheol," Mingyu smiled. Wonwoo pulled him down to whisper in his ear.  
  
"I didn't write one," Wonwoo said.  
  
"I didn't ask you because I thought you didn't needed one," Mingyu said squeezing Wonwoo's hand.  
  
"Love birds!" They heard Soonyoung call them and they flushed.  
  
"Move your fucking arses, now!" JiHoon finished and they obeyed. Moving their feet fast with their hands still intertwined.  
  
They went to the headquarters, the rushed hall and the sound felt strange for the first time. They went with Special Class Jun for the last details and changes in mission.  
  
"That's not possible," JiHoon yelled at his superior throwing him a pencil, Jun dodged it.  
  
"Special Class Seungcheol decided it," Jun simply answered and Mingyu took Wonwoo's hand under the table.  
  
"I'm not will be working alongside a ghoul, not today, not EVER," JiHoon kept yelling angrily.  
  
"It's not your choice," Mingyu said, his voice sounding broken, lonely. "It's decided and you better behave like a grown up for once." Mingyu stood up and left the room, Wonwoo stayed, hearing the other changes, knowing what Mingyu wanted.  
  
Mingyu wanted Wonwoo close to him but as the formation was, they will be on completely opposite sides. He felt sad, hopeless and broken. He cried silently. He knew Wonwoo could protect himself, he could do more that Mingyu himself but it felt like the world was breaking them apart.  
  
"You okay?" Wonwoo asked as he saw Mingyu's forehead resting on his desk.  
  
"Yeah," Mingyu said as he stood up. "I give this to Special Class Seungcheol." Mingyu said waving his testament. Wonwoo's hand stopped him, taking him by the arm.  
  
"I love you, Kim Mingyu," Wonwoo said, losing his grip. Mingyu turned around looking at the ghoul.  
  
"I love you too," Mingyu said without taking his eyes from Wonwoo. "I fucking love you, Jeon Wonwoo," he finished taking him by the waist and kissing him, pushing himself too hard that their teeth clanked. They parted and smiled widely. Their eyes sparkling in joy.  
  
"Your formation is with the kids," Wonwoo said. "I have to go first it seems, take care of them."  
  
"I know JiHoon is a grumpy man and he's stubborn but take care of him," Mingyu pleaded.  
  
"I know, I'll do whatever is in my hands."  
  
"Thank you, good luck," Mingyu placed a peck on Wonwoo's lips and left to find his superior.

* * *

  
  
  
They were standing outside a big building, an abandoned factory. A factory that was almost falling down in pieces, they were not alone and they'd were not the only ones prepared for the fight.  
  
A quick glance and Mingyu saw his underlings shaking. Chan in fear and MingHao in excitement. He thought about give the some encouraging words but his communication device beeped. He raised his arm and waved his hand. He ran towards the building. The were on the southern side of it. Mingyu was the head of the team. Oh, the pressure he was feeling. Mingyu's quinque was brand new. He got one that fit Wonwoo's fighting style. Now Mingyu felt restless as he swung the heavy weapon in his hands as he ran. They faced an ambush.  
  
"Be careful," Mingyu yelled as the fight started. His knuckles getting white. "Southern first area cleared," he said. "Is everyone in a piece?" Mingyu asked watching for everyone, hearing the chorus of 'yes'. "Keep going."  
  
"You got better," MingHao said at Mingyu as they walked on the empty hallways.  
  
"You spent too much time with JiHoon and Special Class Jun," Mingyu cried. "I don't just go all lovey dovey with Wonwoo," he said blushing. "I trained with him and he never went easy on me," he said stopping at once.  
  
Mingyu fell backwards as an attack hit him, making him lose his balance. MingHao was the first to react attacking. MingHao was a talented guy. He throw his quinque, two knife, one missing, the other piercing the ghoul's arm. Chan followed him with his sword shaped quinque. Blowing some attacks as a distraction for MingHao to get more knives from his coat.  
  
"Duck," MingHao yelled and Chan obeyed. He throw two knives one piercing the ghouls forehead and the other stabbing him in the eye. Mingyu ran to finish the job. Slicing the ghoul by the half. MingHao took the quinques and cleaned them on the ghoul's clothing.  
  
"Doesn't this seem too easy?" Chan asked to Mingyu.  
  
"Yes," Mingyu answered. "We cannot do anything about it," he said. "Let's keep doing our job here."  
  
"Got it," both boys said and kept running.  
  
Their mission was to clear the first floor of the southern side. They did it easily, as any of the ghouls involved where much of a hassle for them. Mingyu felt proud.  
  
"How are the other squads doing?" Mingyu asked, placing his hand over his ear.  
  
"Good, you shouldn't be worry but, we haven't found Angel or Priest," Seungcheol answered.  
  
"Let's get going," Mingyu said.  
  
"Where?" Chan asked following Mingyu's steps.  
  
"Out of here, our part is done," Mingyu answered leaving the place.   
  
"When started to rain?" MingHao asked when they left the factory, locating the CCG parked outside.  
  
"It doesn't seem right," Mingyu said as he walked towards the vans helping whenever he could.  
  
The rain was pouring, everything seemed to be so easy. Everything made Mingyu sense that the things will go wrong at some point.  
  
"Mingyu we got a problem," Seungcheol said at his back and he turned.  
  
"What?" Mingyu replied.  
  
"JiHoon is being stubborn and Soonyoung is facing another ghoul," Seungcheol said, his voice shaking in fear.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He's trying to face Angel by himself and also Wonwoo," Seungcheol said carefully. Mingyu took his quinque again without waiting for Seungcheol orders.  
  
The grip on his quinque started to hurt, it could be even started to bleed but Mingyu didn't thought a lot about the pain. He felt as his feet moved by itself as he ran towards the factory, slipping in the wet ground. He felt like his running will never stop. Mingyu felt his heart on his throat, barely letting him breath. His sight started to get blurry and he didn't know if he was crying. There was rain, his hair was wet and sticking to his forehead, and there was his feelings, guilt building inside him. It didn't matter at the moment if he was crying or not. He just need to get to his superior.  
  
Mingyu heard the sound of the quinque hitting a kagune, the regular clank he was used to. The sound was getting stronger and stronger as he ran. He felt at ease for a second. For a tiny second he thought his worries were unfounded.   
  
Then he hear it. The metallic sound of a quinque. It wasn't the same sound as before. It was different yet familiar.  
  
"JiHoon," Mingyu heard Wonwoo screech. Cry. Mingyu felt every step hard to take, the world stopped spinning for a moment. He heard a whining sound in a known voice and the world took his regular pace, no, faster. The world spun faster as faster but his feet still felt like glued to the ground below him. Mingyu couldn't help it but cry out loud, distressed. He entered the room and the first thing he saw was a puddle of blood, growing, big and thick.  
  
The same metallic sound was heard as he released the grip on his own quinque. The quinque hit the floor and Mingyu ran towards the puddle of blood. He forgot everything at the moment. Where he was and what was happening around him.  
  
Mingyu took JiHoon body and hugged him, pressing him against his body, still hearing the man whimpering in his arms.  
  
"Everything will be okay," Mingyu cried ignoring the huffing low sound JiHoon made. Ignoring JiHoon's pierced body. He could be killed too as much as he cared now. He looked at Jihoon's face, losing its color, losing its life. "Please don't," he cried again. Pressing the body against his. He could hear Wonwoo gasping but he couldn't move to help.  
  
"Mingyu," Wonwoo yelled as he covered the boy with his kagune. Angel's laugh was loud mocking. "Damn it," Wonwoo cursed under his breath releasing another tentacle to be able to protect Mingyu. Mingyu raised his face to see Angel, he was a pretty man. Long red hair and feminine features. His mocking smile made Mingyu hate him almost instantly. Mingyu placed JiHoon's body on the floor and took Jihoon's quinque.  
  
Wonwoo was attacking Angel. Angel had a pair of big beautiful bright wings. His body wasn't used to long fights. Mingyu blowed a hit on Angel and this used his wings to cover his body, protecting himself. Mingyu didn't stop, blowing hit by hit. Screaming and crying. The kagune cracking. When the opportunity came Wonwoo pushed Mingyu with his kagune, doing his best on not wound him. Angel's kagune vanished and Wonwoo pierced his stomach with his kagune, Mingyu was standing ready to blow a hit. Wonwoo moved and he sliced Angel body. The upper body falling backwards. On his face was drawn the fear and pain.  
  
A shadow covered the place and when everything when back to normal, Angel's body was gone. Mingyu didn't cared, he ran back to JiHoon, still crying. Wonwoo didn't dare to get closer.  
  
Wonwoo felt guilty. Mingyu felt guilty. Wonwoo let Mingyu cry, cry as much as he wanted because Wonwoo knew very well how hard it was to lose someone precious to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> **IMPORTANT CONCEPTS:**  
> 
> 
>  [Kakugan](http://tokyoghoul.wikia.com/wiki/Kakugan): Ghoul's eyes. The ghoul can enter this state by their own will, but this state is also entered when the ghoul becomes excited, gets extremely hungry, or when they use their kagune.
> 
> [Kakuhou](http://tokyoghoul.wikia.com/wiki/Kakuhou):  is a sack-like organ that is only present in ghouls. The purpose of the kakuhou is to store RC Cells. The nutrition contained in the Rc cells are absorbed by the ghoul. These cells are transported to the kakuhou in the blood and stored in there.
> 
> [RC Cells](http://tokyoghoul.wikia.com/wiki/Rc_cells): They exist in both humans and ghouls. They flow like blood but can become as solid as teeth, and could be called "liquid muscles". They are the ones that make the Kagune, the more eat the more RC Cells have and  the stronger the kagune becomes.
> 
> Any concept I missed out, tell me. 


	3. Letzer Wille und Testament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death always come upon us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter.

The days have passed after Associated Special Class Jihoon’s death. The CCG did all the funeral memorial for him. Seungcheol did it by himself, trying to remember every night before the raids, when he spent time with Jihoon, talking. Not having sex, not kissing, just talking. Sometimes looking at the night sky. They talked about the future, their future together. One night JiHoon talked about what will happened if he died, what he wanted. Seungcheol stopped him by kissing him. Seungcheol was afraid to lose him. He did lose Jihoon months before he died. Seungcheol was heartbroken but he could take the pieces and move on -he needed to-. Mingyu on the other hand couldn't. Mingyu, since Jihoon's death, stayed in bed, crying, hugging Wonwoo whenever this came to his side. Seungcheol was nice to him because he wanted to do the same and just cry. Mingyu cried for both of them.

"Is Mingyu better?" Seungcheol asked to Wonwoo when he saw him on the hallway. The ghoul shook his head.

"Not a little," Wonwoo answered.

"He didn't even came to the funeral service," Seungcheol said.

"He literally watched him go," Wonwoo said. "He feel guilty and so do I."

"Jihoon was stubborn, it was what killed him," Seungcheol said. He, deep down felt guilty too.

"I wish I could do more but I wasn't eating well," Wonwoo said, biting his tongue. Seungcheol let Wonwoo's words pass.

"When he gets better tell him I have something to give him," Seungcheol said, turning around the corner.

"What?" Wonwoo asked, stopping to see Seungcheol walk away.

"Jihoon's last will," Seungcheol answered. Wonwoo's heart broke at the mention of it.

Wonwoo saw Seungcheol disappear and he stood still, watching his back, feeling like his heart was about to explode. Wonwoo ran after Seungcheol. He tapped on his shoulder when he saw him again.

"Can't you give it to me?" Wonwoo asked, gasping.

"Why?"

"It might help Mingyu, I feel that it would help him," Wonwoo answered.

"'Curse, come to my office at the end of the day," Seungcheol answered and left Wonwoo alone.

Wonwoo finished his duties in the headquarters and went back to home. Finding Chan and Minghao sitting at the counter and Soonyoung in the kitchen. The smell that came to his nose it wasn't as good as always it has been. He saw Chan frowning at the man in the kitchen and whispering things to a giggling Minghao.

"This doesn't smell right," Wonwoo said walking towards the kitchen to Soonyoung.  
  
"Shut up," Soonyoung answered. Wonwoo stood at his side looking at the food frowning. His face twisting in disgust.

"Fuck," he muttered and turned off the oven. "The meat is fully cooked," he said. "It has to be half cook."

"What? The recipe says..." Soonyoung stuttered.

"You are not longer just humans, remember it," Wonwoo said.

"I did something for you, but I don't know how Mingyu did it," Soonyoung said as he served the food on plates and put it in front of the younger ones.

"He slice everything and try to not puke," Wonwoo answered, smiling.

"I did it a way differently," Soonyoung said placing a plate in front of Wonwoo. The food smelled like raw meat but it looked fancier. The meat was slightly cooked to just have a brownish color, covered in a green sauce. Wonwoo made a face and Soonyoung laughed. "Colourings, I asked your friends for a favor, is brain tissue and blood with coloring."

"Oh, that's Vernon's favourite," Wonwoo smiled and kissed Soonyoung cheek. He could hear Chan gasping at the action. "Thank you," Wonwoo sat on the table, away from the kids to eat.

"When do you think Mingyu hyung will be ok?" MingHao asked.

"Soon I hope," Wonwoo answered trying to contain the sound that were about to came from his mouth. The food was good. The mix has been always his favorite. "Seungcheol gave me something for him and I hope that helps."

"What is it?" Chan asked looking at Wonwoo, chuckling when he saw how Wonwoo moved his feet excitedly after every bite.

"A letter," Wonwoo answered looking at the empty plates front of him, whining. He passed his finger in the plate, cleaning it.

"A letter from Seungcheol?" Minghao huffed.

"Oh my god Minghao, you surely spend too much time with Jun," Wonwoo said laughing. "From Jihoon, Soonyoung thanks for the food," he stood up and walked to the stairs.

"How?" Soonyoung muttered.

"His testament had a few letters," Wonwoo said, he digged in the pocket of his coat. "This one is for you guys," he left it on the table and left.

As he walked on the stairs he felt weird, will this work? He asked himself but there was no room for doubt. He opened the door and as everyday after that raid he say the bundle of sheets in were Mingyu was laying. He could hear Mingyu sobbing, crying and his heart broke in a doubt that was entirely different. Will Mingyu cry this much when he died? He believed, he wanted to believed he would but at the back of his head, he doubt it. Mingyu didn’t loved his as much as Wonwoo wanted. He turned on the lights.

"Hey," Wonwoo started as he walked to the bed. Mingyu moved just a little. "I brought you something," he sat on the bed. Mingyu made no other sound than the hard breathing. "Answer me," he pleaded.

"I don't need anything," Mingyu said in a broken voice.

"You really need it, babe," Wonwoo smiled. "I know this is hard, this going to be really hard for you but," he started. "Seungcheol gave me a letter from Jihoon," Mingyu moved to look at Wonwoo and Wonwoo smiled at him even if it hurt. He took Mingyu's face and kissed him. "I love you," he said after the kiss and left the letter on the night stand. "I'm gonna leave it here, read it when you're ready."

"Read it for me," Mingyu said, almost like pleading.

"No, I don't think Jihoon would want that," he said.

"Then stay with me," he said and took the letter and moved to the side to let a space for Wonwoo.

"'Kay," Wonwoo said sitting besides Mingyu, taking a while to adjust himself. Placing his head on Mingyu's stomach, hearing it growl and chuckling at the sound.

Mingyu was nervous as he unfolded the letter, he saw Jihoon's handwriting, tidier than usual, he took his time on writing, on thinking what to say, he felt like crying once again. Wonwoo have felt it because he caressed his stomach like saying 'it's okay, babe'. Mingyu took a long breath and started reading.

_Dear Mingyu:_

_Oh my dearest Mingyu, I'm so sorry. If you're reading this it only means one thing, I am dead. I'm sorry to have put you through all this pain. I know it will be difficult to you, it would be difficult to go through my daily life without you. Not like you should be proud of it, it’s just, being years with someone and just not seeing him again feels like something I don't want to deal with. Now, you will deal with it, again, I'm sorry._

_There's so many things I want to talk with you. Many things I want to apologize about, first of all. Wonwoo, I'm sorry to not have trust you about him, to not trust him at all. He's a nice person but he attacked me and Seungcheol and I don't feel like forgive him about that. I should have, for you. I know it would have make you happy and it would have made my relationship last longer, I know but I am stubborn, you know that, everyone knows that._

_Tell Wonwoo that I was fond of him, I liked him, on my own way and I loved you, dear Mingyu, I loved you as much as I loved Seungcheol._

_I was always worried about you. You were a light in a world full of darkness Kim Mingyu, you have brought happiness and joy to my life and I'm really thankful._

_I remember the day we met, how nervous and excited you were, I couldn't help myself but laugh at your silliness. You were surprised, after I met you I softened but it was because of you, just you. That's why Wonwoo could trust you so easily even when you were a Ghoul investigator. There's so much light and so much pureness in you. I know what you wanted to do, a peaceful world for humans and ghouls alike, I'm against it, I'm so deeply against it but Mingyu, I'm dead, you should try it if you think it would work. It's an utopia for me but if it's you I know something you could do. I wish you the best and happiness._

_My foolish underling. Cry but not forget the other ones, I know you're hurt. I know it, I understand it Kim Mingyu but move your fucking arse because I don't want you to be depressed, cry or avenge me but don't stop on living._

_Good bye._

  
Mingyu wrinkled the paper without noticing as he started to cry, Wonwoo stood up and hugged him tight, hiding his face on the crook of Mingyu's neck, crying with him, not reason at all but they cried together, Mingyu weirdly felt better. At the end Jihoon was who knew him better, it were about four years working together, he remembered most of all of this times they spent together, all those years. Mingyu, down deep felt like laughing when he found that he were like a puppy and Jihoon was annoyed by it, but when was Jihoon not annoyed? Maybe when he was alone when Seungcheol -not that he had seen them, they were really careful but he could guess it-, maybe when he was worried about Mingyu or those strange days when he was sad and his self-esteem dropped to the floor because of Seungcheol.

Every facet of Jihoon was different and he could have seen some of them, he have seen one that no one else have seen, the uncomfortable and unsure one.

Mingyu pushed Wonwoo to see his face. He could see the tiresome features Wonwoo was showing. The bags under his eyes and even now, how puffy his eyes seemed after crying with him. He smiled because he thought Jeon Wonwoo looked really cute that moment. He wondered if JiHoon have cried. Mingyu tried to recall the moment when Jihoon's relationship broke because of him. Now, this moment when he was looking at his boyfriend, Mingyu felt a pinch of guilt pierce his heart. But Mingyu couldn't recall a moment when Jihoon cried. When he told him about the rupture in their relationship he was angry, he thrown a tantrum breaking things and yelling but he wasn't crying or at least it was what Mingyu could recall.

"How you feel?" He could hear Wonwoo asking him.

"Better," Mingyu answered kissing Wonwoo's pink lips. "Thank you," he said and somehow he felt like his strength came back to him. He saw the paper in his hand and Mingyu knew why Wonwoo, Seungcheol and even Jihoon have worked to make this reach him.

Kim Mingyu loved Lee Jihoon as much as he loved Jeon Wonwoo. He had been his strength but now he had something else to fight for, and it wasn't just Wonwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow this is one of my favorite things. I loved to think about Jihoon and Seungcheol's relationship and Jihoon's love towards Mingyu. I was shamefully trying to imply something between them because I'm JiGyu trash. I have wrote their first meeting but it died when I was fixing last chapter because it seemed to much and not too important but I still have that in my hands so if you want it I can post it on my twitter alongside some excerpts that don't gonna make into the story.
> 
> I wanted to end everything at 3 chapters but somehow... My head said nope because the end of next chapter is really unselting (is that the word?) so my head kept working, saddly I cannot post it if I haven't finished the last, last chapter so maybe it gonna take more time. Sorry. Work consume my soul. 
> 
> My twitter is Zinna94


	4. Der Ghoul liebte mich so sehr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is everything but when doubts start becomes anything. He loved him the most but he didn't knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This unbetaed, I'm sorry for any mistake.

Ghouls are carnivorous beings. Their origins are unknown, the sole reason of their existence is unknown. The only things known are two sides of the coin. The human side and the ghoul side. The power and the weakness. Humans are afraid of the unknown, that's well said. So they eradicate what they are scared of. So humans eradicate ghouls existence. It's a sad thing for ghouls that only can be feed by the consumption of human meat, but there are more sad things besides that.

Wonwoo was a lucky boy. Getting to be smart enough to learn, to get his studies done despite the fact he was alone and a ghoul. Not many are that lucky. That's the end of the story, almost the end of the picture. Wonwoo was as stubborn as any ghoul in his teenage years.

As any kid, at his 7 years he was ignorant of the wrongdoings of his kind. For Wonwoo feeding was the favorite moment of the day, his parents -on that time still alive- feed him everyday, the best ingredients they could find to please their kids palate. Wonwoo stared at the red bloody meat in front of him. Swinging his feet. The smell of blood was strong as the food was fresh. His parents just hunted for his meat, brain tissue, tongue and blood. All of Wonwoo's favorite. The smell made his stomach growl, the sound made his parents chuckle. He was raised gracefully and well mannered. He took a fork and pinched one of the eyeballs -cut in tiny slices- and put it on his mouth. He shivered at the taste. It was a new taste it was splendid and he forgot all his parents had taught him.

The fork fell from his hand to the floor.

Wonwoo's tiny hands took the food desperately, placing in in his mouth and munching it, feeling the tastes explode in there, making him see stars. He felt his body tremble at the new experience but also he felt a tingling feeling on his back. It felt weird,as if something was there, trying to burst out from his skin and that scared him but the excitement made him forget it fast. It stung, hurted but the feeling got nicer at the end, tingling. Wonwoo ignored what happened because the food was tastier than ever before. He finished and licked the plate and his fingers but his stomach kept growling, he wanted more. He was embarrassed, Wonwoo acted like an animal. He raised his sight to look at his parents with an apologetic smile and he saw their eyes gleaming, his mom was crying.

 That time, in the middle of his feeding Wonwoo released his kagune for the first time, as if he got a boner watching porn. His kagune bursted out when eating, that was the first time and wouldn't be the last time it would happen. His parents were happy, proud.

 "Never forget that feeling Wonwoo, don't forget what you felt," were his father words and he would never forget them but he did forgot the feeling. He was a kid after all and he was on the middle of his first -almost- sensual experience.

His tentacles back then were purplish, the high maintenance of his food made it that way.

Wonwoo's childhood was good. Ten years full of happiness was more than a ghoul could ask, after that Wonwoo was alone. Nameless, homeless and building a hatred towards humans. They have killed his parents, they have made him an orphan but those humans only cared about his own kind doesn't they?

Sitting in an alley, besides some trash cans with the pouring rain, there was Wonwoo, crunching. Dirty and hungry. Crying because, hunger for a ghoul was hell and he was used to regular foods, tiny plates but on regular basis. An eleven year old boy crying in an alley, alone, unable to hunt. Nobody gave him second glances. The sad life of a ghoul. His parents have raised him well but never thought of leaving him so early of his life so they didn't teach him too much, nonetheless Wonwoo could read and write to this point. He was lucky. He thought he was lucky.

One night one hand reached to him.

The man smelled like a human but there was blood too. It scared him. Human and blood was not a good sign so he ran away. His head hit another man's stomach, this time the man smelled like him with a faint smell of blood, the same as his food. Fresh blood. The man smiled at him and told him to hide. He did. Out of fear more than anything. Wonwoo saw them fight. He saw a kagune, different than his and his parents, it curled in the man's arm like a sword. They fought, the ghoul was stronger and killed the ghoul investigator. He cut an arm to give it to Wonwoo. Throwing it to his feet.

"I want the head," Wonwoo said, pointing the dead man and kicking the arm. The ghoul laughed but did what Wonwoo asked, decapitated the man and throw the head to Wonwoo. That moment Wonwoo, knew manners were important but he didn't care, he was starving. He put his finger on the top of the eye hole, pushing it, making the eyeball to pop out, he took it and eat it. It wasn't as good as he remembered but he liked it either way. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," the ghoul said. Smiling to the lost kid.

Wonwoo released his kagune to slice the top of the head and take the brain in his hands.

"How old are you?" the man asked. Wonwoo counted with his fingers.

"Eleven," Wonwoo answered, munching the brain.That tasted as good as he remembered it. He smiled biting again.

"Too young," the man said and ripped the other man heart to give it to Wonwoo. Wonwoo took it gladly and put it on his lap. "First time."

"6 or 7," Wonwoo answered still eating what he had, feeling his hunger disappear. The man hummed after Wonwoo's words.

"Are you alone?" the man asked Wonwoo, Wonwoo nodded, his mouth full of brain, munching soundly. "Wanna come with me?" He asked again and Wonwoo's face lighted up. "There's no loving family in here but there would be food, I can also teach you to hunt," he asked after watching Wonwoo's face, he knew very well what the kid wanted, he once was a kid, younger than him when he lost everything. Luckily he had his sister with him to give him a reason to keep going.

"It's okay, could also be a pair of shoes for me?" Wonwoo asked, moving his dirtied toes. The man cracked a big laugh.

"Yes, also some clothes kid," he smiled and put himself to dismember the dead man and put it in a bag, alongside another body. Wonwoo watched him amused as the man dismembered the other with just a  butcher's knife. Every hit made the blade clank against the asphalt. It was a beautiful sound. When he finished, the man looked to him again. "I never asked your name."

"Wonwoo," he simply said. Nothing else. No surnames, that didn't existed in their world.

"Nice to meet you Wonwoo, my names is Jaehyun," he said and took the head and sliced it as Wonwoo ate the heart. His dirtied clothing now more dirty with blood. A kid after all, hungry, all in his mind forgotten.

"Nice to meet you," Wonwoo handed his hand to shook and the older took it gladly.

 

* * *

 

 

A better life wasn't a life but it wasn't any easier. He didn't starved but his body ached everyday. Wonwoo surely was praised by his age and his use of kagune, he was smart and talented.

"Get..." Jaehyun said, sitting on a wooden box on an empty factory. "Five bodies today and I'll give you everything you want," he finished looking at Wonwoo. Everyone in the room looked at him.

"Do you want him to be killed?" A boy, older just by two years said. His voice was soft and a little feminine. Jeonghan. Black short hair.

"You want the same? " Jaehyun asked to him.

"Oh, fuck you," Jeonghan said, frowning. "I can get that many but you just had him half a year and he is just twelve."

"You did the same at his age," Jaehyun retorted.

"I had more time on that than he has now."

"I'll do it," Wonwoo cut the discussion.

"See, he can handle the mission," Jaehyun said, throwing something to Wonwoo. Jeonghan started to whisper alongside someone else. Wonwoo looked the mask and frowned, almost about to throw the thing back into Jaehyun's head but that was better than nothing. A sloth mask.

"Good joke," Wonwoo mumbled under his breath taking his stuff and putting the mask.

"I know, " Jaehyun said, looking at him with sad eyes. "Good luck, kiddo."

"Yeah," Wonwoo fled under the light of the moon to do his work.

Besides his mask there was another reason the CCG called him sloth. He was the laziest worker on the team. Getting -almost- caught in the middle of his feeding time, killing, dirtied the place, leaving body parts. Wonwoo, at the end was one of the strongest and devilish ones. He could be kill his victim while eating. In the middle of his munching, his defenses were the best. The team was merciless and didn't cared who killed or where just for the price: Food.

That night Wonwoo got the 5 bodies, headless. The heads were always his and his price a stack of book. He read, in the day, by the factory window he read. He loved the easiness of a human life, he craved it and books were his thing. He loved science fiction the most but horror were the thing that made his stomach flinch and made him hungry before a hunt.  

 

* * *

 

 

In his 15th year of life, Wonwoo wandered. He questioned his life and his doings, then he labeled them as wrong doings.

Wonwoo sat at the window of a old coffee shop. The coffee was the tastier there. There were books for him to read and the people running it were ghouls as well. Wonwoo asked for his fourth cup of coffee as he changed the page again. Almost finishing his book, feeling the anxiety and excitement of the climax. His eyes were filled with tears as the end was close, as the sad ending and real feeling on it hit him. The coffee came when he read the last sentence. A lonely tear rolling down his cheek.

Someone sat in front of him.

Wonwoo raised his eyes to look at the man sitting there. Offering his last cup of coffee that day.

"I've read that book at your age," the man said and Wonwoo felt uneasy. "Did you liked it?"

"Yes, it has a poetic narrative and every character has humanity in it," Wonwoo said. "Even you can relate with the antagonist somehow, his flaws were and felt so real."

"It makes you wonder what is right and wrong," the man said. "But the world isn't black and white."

"Even for us?" Wonwoo asked.

"Yes Wonwoo, even for us," the man said, taking Wonwoo's hand between his. "You need to chose with whom you want to stay."

"Here, manager, here," Wonwoo cried for the first time after three years. Feeling lost. Resurrected. The manager pushed the coffee closer to Wonwoo, to him to drink it as a reassuring manner. He drank it and it tasted sweeter as ever, it tasted as if there was something else in it. As if Wonwoo itself was different.

The manager pushed Wonwoo to his excellence. He treated him as his own child. He gave him a name and a future.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo hugged Seungkwan's as he cried. The sound of Seungkwan's crying broke his heart, it made him feel helpless, useless and completely mad. Vernon was standing besides them, clenching his fists. Vernon loved Seungkwan and watching him cry wasn't a thing he wanted to see.

"What happened?" Wonwoo asked, the question made Seungkwan's cry become harder and harder.

"The Doves killed his sisters," Vernon said and Seungkwan stopped his crying. The shock came again.

"They aren't dead," Seungkwan yelled to Vernon. Seungkwan pushed Wonwoo to ran after Vernon, hitting him lazily.

"Who was?" Wonwoo said, ignoring Seungkwan's outburst.

"The pink haired," Vernon answered. He took Seungkwan's wrists and placed a kiss on his lips. He kissed him, trying to calm him that way. He parted ways from the older. The spasms from crying had stopped but Seungkwan was frowning at him.

"You're an idiot," Seungkwan said, slapping Vernon on the cheek. Wonwoo just looked at them. He felt bad, he felt hurt but he couldn't blame anyone on this, humans perhaps but not himself and his feelings. He got up and walked towards Seungkwan and kissed his temple.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo was angry. His feelings were blinding him, driving him insane. He walked in his room, phone in hand. He was thinking thoroughly everything, what he could do and what he couldn't the grip on his phone got a little too strong almost breaking it. A little investigation wouldn't hurt anyone. He dialed a number sighing at the broken screen on his phone.

That night he walked towards Seungkwan's room. He found him and Vernon sleeping together, the could hear Seungkwan's crying even on his sleep and it broke his heart. He was really attached to his sisters and was the only thing he had and now they were gone. Revenge were never on their plans but if any of them revealed themselves it was because they were attacked and they were always the calmed ones. Seungkwan never learned how to fight, he was always protected by his sisters. He walked towards the two and kissed the Seungkwan on the head. Revenge was not on the to do list but just this time will be and just on Wonwoo's.

Wonwoo could hear Vernon whisper "Is the right thing to do?" And even if Wonwoo wasn't sure of it, the only thing it was in his mind. Their peaceful world had come to and end. "No but we must fight and I'll be right for all of you."

In the dark night with his old hunting clothes he went out to find his old comrades. He was angry, building bad feelings within him. As he looked around, on the corner of his eye he saw him and the faint sweet smell hinted him, oh, it made his blood boil, evaporate even. His face was seen but in the darkness of the night and the building not much could be seen. He put his old mask, recently fixed and got to fight. Not aiming Jihoon. Not aiming the partner of his beloved friend but the quinque, the quinque that would never could be brought to the shop. His kagune hit the quinque and he felt pain. He was unused to the fight now, rusty but his natural talent pushed him to dodge any attack from his opponent.

Jihoon was mad and that pushed him to be reckless. Every move he did became unsteady. Wonwoo took the opportunity but the foolish movements Jihoon was making and his slightly distraction, made him hurt Jihoon instead of the quinque. It was a hard deal to break a quinque but he did it a few times in the past and he wanted to do it now, take the pieces and bury them. Jihoon moved his quinque and cut Wonwoo's kagune. Wonwoo felt pain but it wasn't too much. He could handle it. Wonwoo straightened his mask again. He saw Jihoon face darken. He released three more tentacles and started to attack. He didn't move, his kagune moving around waggling.

Every time Jihoon swung the quinque Wonwoo could hear Seungkwan's sister screaming and crying in pain. It made him even angrier at the thought. It made him attack, keep attacking but every attack was blocked by Jihoon.

A loud bang.

Someone else had come, the Q bullets hitting Wonwoo's kagune. He thrown the gun to get another quinque. Starting to attack Wonwoo, every attack as fast as Wonwoo's, making him feel uncomfortable. Still he didn't aimed to hurt him, even the anger couldn't blind him, not anymore. He let another tentacle out making a furtive attack, hearing a bawl as he hurt his opponent.

A cry from Jihoon and he looked around, to the first escape route he could find, Jihoon took his moment of distraction and blowed a hit on his chest. Wonwoo whimpered because of the pain, his tails wiggled pushing Jihoon aside. Wonwoo took that time and forgot his pain and ran towards a close window to jump. He looked to Jihoon before to jump. He felt the love between the two investigator and felt empty, he felt guilty to being unable to steal that quinque. He ran away, not caring about anything. He destroyed his mask and and burned his bloodied clothing. He wouldn't needed it anymore. He didn't wanted that life anymore.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo came back to the coffee shop a few days later. He had finished his book and he wanted a new one. He entered directly to the book section on the shop, choosing a new book, a completely new book he hadn't read before. Wonwoo placed the book on the shelf when someone poked his shoulder. He startled a little to find Vernon, he had a face that it was hard for Wonwoo to read.

"What's wrong?" Wonwoo asked.

"He came," Vernon said, taking a piece of paper from his jeans pocket. "And left this for you," he handed the paper to Wonwoo and he took it, he placed it on the book.

"It's ok, don't worry," Wonwoo said patting Vernon's back. "Everything is gonna be okay," he lied. Wonwoo sat on the usual table and opened the book and unfolded the paper, he was scared. He wouldn't admit it anytime but he was scared. He felt like his world was crumbling. He had made a mistake. Didn't he?

'Let's end this. I'm sorry.

-Mingyu'

Wonwoo read. The handwriting was messy and he knew what it meant. His facade was lost. That friendship, that game of his had ended on that fight. He sighed, he placed the note in between some pages and asked for the usual cup of coffee. He will drown everything on it. His tears and fears. His regret.

 

* * *

 

 

The clear sky mocked him. Wonwoo was sitting on his usual spot, looking the Window, feeling distracted from his book (an unusual thing) and he saw Mingyu walking towards the shop, on his hand was a case, as white as his coat, he knew he didn't come for a good thing, before Seungkwan could run to his side he stood up. He stopped in front of him.

"No need to carry that inside," Wonwoo said pointing to the case on Mingyu's hand. "I'll go wherever you want but just don't bring that inside," he pleaded. Mingyu nodded at the request. Seungkwan walked towards them.

"Is everything ok?" Seungkwan asked. Wonwoo smiled at him.

"Don't worry. Please, put the book on his rightful place, please," Wonwoo said and Seungkwan looked as if he was about to cry. "Do as I told you," Seungkwan nodded and walked towards the empty table. The forgotten book and coffee cup. He sat on Wonwoo's place, crying silently.

It felt like his end. That day it could be Wonwoo's last day.

They walked for a while, silently. Mingyu was at the front, he wanted, at the back of his mind, that Wonwoo just ran away but he just didn't, that said a lot of a man. They walked towards an open place, empty. Good for a fight.

Mingyu pushed the button of his quinque, this opened and tail wiggled on the air as it freed from it's cage.  Wonwoo released his kagune and Mingyu started to attack, the tail hit Wonwoo's tentacles. Wonwoo could see the pain drawn on Mingyu's face, every hit was painful to him. When Mingyu started to cry he couldn't help but to feel the need to hug him, to make him know, everything was okay, that everything will be alright but he couldn't, he was still attacking him. Wonwoo didn't even move an inch.

Wonwoo didn't know everything was about to end, and about to begin. A new journey until he hugged the man in front of him, when he felt that a tall man had became a puppy.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo was left alone with Mingyu on a gray room. It didn't scared him but it felt weird.

"What information you can give us?" Mingyu asked playing with a pen on his hands.

"A human created a half ghoul," Wonwoo said, playing with his hands. "We found him right after the incident, he didn't know what happened. It destroyed him," Wonwoo said, stopping the movement on his hands. "And he was so alone, so alone and afraid, because you made all humans scared of us," Mingyu wrote every word Wonwoo said.

"Anything else."

"Yes, I know some ghouls hideouts, bad ghouls," Wonwoo said.

"Bad?" Mingyu asked, not believing the words the older just said.

"You know, there are good people bad people, there also are good ghouls and bad ghouls, I'm good, remember," Wonwoo said and Mingyu flushed.

"Oh, shut up," Mingyu hissed. Wonwoo smiled at him.

"Ok, ghoul's hideouts, something else?"

"Feeding habits, hunting areas, I can even rank them," Wonwoo said. "I can tell you the safe areas, the most troublesome even for us."

"That's good."

"I can tell you, who killed someone by the body," Wonwoo sighed and rested his face on the table. "Some people are picky about their food," he chuckled. "I like the head. The brain and eyeballs," he said tasting the food on his tongue. "Yours seem like the tastier," he said and Mingyu laughed at the comment, not nervously but wholeheartedly.

"That's great, we would just gave you our info and you could tell us about the ghoul behind it, right?"

"Curse, if the ghoul is indeed bad," Wonwoo said. "Some people are bad and deserve to be dead, you know, if it is in my hands I can give you names, all you want."

"Good, good," Mingyu chanted excitedly. "That will be enough."

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo sat on a couch on Mingyu's apartment since he was supposed to keep an eye on Wonwoo. He looked around at the tiny place, happy about it, about how cosy it was.

"His name is Samuel," Wonwoo said out of the blue, starting Mingyu. "The half ghoul," he said, crouching. "He is thirteen, he was utterly alone in life and his life was destroyed by a monster," Wonwoo said feeling the tears on his eyes.

"How is he?" Mingyu just could ask, sitting besides him to hug him.

"He's nice and cheerful," Wonwoo said, a smile tugging on his lips.

"Did he get used?"

"To the meat?" Wonwoo asked and Mingyu nodded. "Not yet, he's still dealing with the idea, luckily I'm more gourmet-ish with my food."

"Gourmet-ish?"

"Yes, I do use some unflavored colorants, and grill the meat, it makes it to lose it's taste but it help him to eat," Wonwoo smiled.

"I didn't know you could do that," Mingyu said caressing Wonwoo's arm.

"Not many humans really knows about us," Something on Wonwoo's voice made Mingyu to feel it's loneliness and sadness. Wonwoo was a good person indeed.

"Tell me about you," Mingyu said, not really thinking about his words.

"What you want to know?"

"Everything, I want to know everything about you," Mingyu said, his voice sounding excited, cheerful and he loved it.

"And I want to know everything about you, Mr. Kim Mingyu," Wonwoo said mockingly.

"Can I ask you why you attacked Jihoon?" Mingyu asked breaking the happy mood. Wonwoo gulped. He felt guilty and pain.

"His quinque is Seungkwan's sister," Wonwoo said. "Mingyu," He said crying. "They were so lovely and nice and loved Seungkwan over all things in the world and he killed them," Wonwoo turned his body and hid his face on Mingyu's chest.

"I'm sorry," Mingyu said tightening his grip on Wonwoo. That moment he felt complete, as nothing was missing, as if Wonwoo was his everything. That thought skipped his mind as he just enjoyed the feeling without second thoughts.

"I wanted to destroy it," Wonwoo said.  "I'm sorry I hurt him but I needed that quinque, Seungkwan can't see it, he can't smell it."

"Smell it?"

"We can smell it, the chemicals and the kagune, it has a faintly different smell from you."

"I can't do anything," Mingyu said. "Jihoon love that quinque, is strong and it feels temperamental." Wonwoo giggled.

"Seungkwan's sister was temperamental," Wonwoo's tears were drying on his cheeks. The mood was dead but Mingyu didn't cared too much. He loved to be with him

"Tell me about everyone, tell me how you met them, I want to know them," Mingyu said excitedly. Moving his arms, making Wonwoo jump away from him. They felt hollow and went back to hug each other. The warm on their arms was a thing they missed every second -now that they knew it-.

Wonwoo started to tell the stories, not missing a detail, not missing to tell even when they hunted, those funny stories with ex-boyfriends and blood everywhere. Even when Mingyu felt like he should be disgusted, he felt pleased to know details of his life, those details that no one had to know besides him.

 

* * *

 

 

While Mingyu didn't noticed the intimacy between him and Wonwoo. Wonwoo felt a bit uncomfortable but he felt absolutely good at the same.

It was midnight. He rolled on the bed Mingyu got him. It was a nice bed, everything Mingyu gave him was perfect and nice but he couldn't  fall asleep. He stared at the ceiling for another few minutes before climb out of his bed. He hugged his pillow and walked towards Mingyu's room. He stood beside his bed and stared to his sleeping face. He was handsome everyday at every hour but in that moment Kim Mingyu was cute. Wonwoo smiled at himself for a few seconds, staring at Mingyu. Wonwoo climbed Mingyu's bed and hugged him, feeling tired and sleepy the very moment he smelled Mingyu's scent.

Even if Wonwoo felt uncomfortable at the intimacy he couldn't help but push it, to push himself even closer to Mingyu, as if it was the most important thing in his world.

 

* * *

 

The Quinx Squad was formed and many things changed. Mingyu's place was no longer their home. They got a chalette to live in with other four people. Wonwoo didn't mind the new kids but Jihoon was a completely different story. He glared at him everytime he saw him on the house but it was more prominent when Jihoon saw Wonwoo enter to Mingyu's room at night. The night it was when Wonwoo and Mingyu could be together, to be glued as much as they wanted, just hugging and talking because there were no feelings there, not yet at least.

Wonwoo woke up that morning hearing Jihoon yelling. He looked at Mingyu and smiled. He climbed out of the bed to start the day. When Wonwoo walked down the stairs he saw Jihoon and Soonyoung. Jihoon was yelling at Soonyoung but this was smiling at him, then his hand reached for Jihoon's waist, pulling him closer. It was something Wonwoo was sure Jihoon didn't want him to see -or anyone- so he walked up again, sitting at the edge of Mingyu's bed. Thinking. What was Mingyu to him? He wanted an answer but he got nothing but fear. He got up and kissed Mingyu cheek and went to take a shower. Feeling every worry rinsed by the water.

He loved Kim Mingyu.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo worked on the paperwork Mingyu had forgotten because of his depression. He passed a hand through his hard and sighed, signing some of them.

"Is everything done, hyung?" He heard Chan at his back. Wonwoo nodded and placed all the papers carefully.

"Yeah, I just need to hand this to Special Class Seungcheol," Wonwoo said.

"What about Mingyu hyung," Chan asked. Wonwoo gulped.

"Don't know Chan, let's give him some time to recover," Wonwoo said.  "He's a little better after reading Jihoon letter," Wonwoo smiled a little, remembering the moment Mingyu cried on his arms, feeling overwhelmed by everything he just read.

"True," Chan said. "When you can give us another training session?" Chan asked.

"Later, I still need to talk with Soonyoung hyung," Wonwoo said, pulling a sad smile on his face.

"Kay, Hyung, see you later, we'll try to make Mingyu Hyung feel better."

"Thank you," Wonwoo messed Chan's hair and left the room, looking for Seungcheol. For an unknown reason he felt uneasy.

He walked to Seungcheol's office, he knocked the door and Seungcheol answered.

"I brought you the data," Wonwoo said, placing the papers on the table, in front of Seungcheol.

"How are the things?" Seungcheol asked.

"Fine, Mingyu got a little better but..." Wonwoo said, playing with his hands. "There's no place for me to say it but Soonyoung feels bad too."

"It's normal, it was also his partner, and he wasn't able to help him," Seungcheol said as he examined the papers Wonwoo just left.

"No, I meant, Seungcheol," Wonwoo said slowly. "They were dating."

"What?"

"I saw them a few times," Wonwoo said, rubbing his arm nervously. "And I think that in his state he wouldn't be good for our team," Wonwoo said.

"What do you mean?"

"He wasn't blaming himself, he's blaming me for Jihoon's death."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure, and he will be better if I'm out of the squad for a while," Wonwoo said.

"That's impossible Wonwoo, also we cannot remove him from the squad if you're implying that."

"No, that will not be necessary, I'll try my best to make it work," Wonwoo said. He felt nervous. He really wanted Soonyoung to be out of the squad, at least for a while, he couldn't stand the angry stares and the painful cries on Jihoon's room. It felt a little saddening that Wonwoo knew some secrets about Jihoon. Mingyu got a letter, Seungcheol got his, and the entire Quinx Squad got a letter but Soonyoung was empty handed. Seungcheol's letter was a secret between him and Wonwoo. He felt like he was betraying everyone by being so close to Seungcheol but Wonwoo felt like he needed to be with him, to be the shoulder on where he could really cry. Seungcheol needed a person to who  would be weak for once.

"I hope so."

"Yeah, don't worry." Wonwoo forced a smile and left the room.

 

* * *

 

 

The smell in the house was strong. It was Mingyu's cooking. Wonwoo ran towards the kitchen, hugging his boyfriend.

"How do you feel today?" Wonwoo asked.

"I feel better, and you?"

"Tired, I feel your work is consuming me, can you do it yourself?" Mingyu laughed at Wonwoo's words.

"Yes, I'll do it," Wonwoo smiled widely and kissed Mingyu's cheek. "There's something wrong between you and Soonyoung hyung?"

"Well, he started to be aggressive towards me a few weeks after Jihoon's death," Wonwoo said and felt how Mingyu tensed under his touch. "Sorry."

"It's okay, I should get used to that fact," Mingyu said and Wonwoo tightening the grip on his body.

"I'm sorry, I should know that I don't have to mention it," Wonwoo hid his face on Mingyu's back.

"Wonwoo, it's not your fault," Mingyu left the pan and pushed Wonwoo away. "It wasn't your fault he was stubborn, you tried your best to protect him." Without noticing Wonwoo started to cry and Mingyu hugged him.

A fake coughing.

They got a part as fast as they could. Watching Soonyoung watching them. Soonyoung was frowning, bags under his eyes.

"Hello Soonyoung," Mingyu said happily. "I made the dinner, want some?"

"Yeah, of course," Soonyoung said and smiled, forgetting completely about Wonwoo's presence.

"Did you made something for me," Wonwoo asked shily.

"Yeap, I made this," Mingyu placed a plate full of delicious food in front of him, it looked like a regular meat but Wonwoo knew it was different as he smelled the slightly scent of blood in it.

"Thank you," Wonwoo said and Mingyu places a plate in front of Soonyoung. His smile had vanished and stared Wonwoo. "Hey, Mingyu, I'll eat on my room, see you later," Wonwoo said and walked towards the refrigerator and took a tupperware and placed the plate over it. "Don't go until I tell you can."

"Okay," Mingyu chanted happily, serving his own food, not really caring about what Wonwoo was doing at the moment.

Wonwoo walked towards his room but at his back he could still feel Soonyoung staring at him, making him shiver. He ate on his room, alone, feeling guilty. He hadn't done anything wrong, he indeed tried his best to help Jihoon. He bit another time his food and without noticing he started crying. He, liked Jihoon, he liked him, he was nice after all that angry being.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo found himself back in the day when he encountered Angel and Priest. He looked around and he didn't found Jihoon anywhere. No one but him and Angel.

"Long time to no see you Wonwoo," Angel said, his soft voice made him shiver. It have passed several years but his voice was still the same.

"I'm glad to see you, have you decided to turn a girl for once?" Wonwoo said and he felt how Angel, shook on angriness.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP," Angel hissed and Wonwoo couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Well, I like your girly long hair," Wonwoo said and in that moment Angel laughed too. It felt like an old thing. It felt good.

"I've missed you lazy ass," Angel said and Wonwoo felt like saying the same, forgetting the reason why he was there. Jihoon entered the room, the only thing he saw was a heartwarming reunion. He felt betrayed.

"I knew you would betray us," Jihoon yelled. Wonwoo was about to argue about the matter but Jihoon ran towards him, attacking him as if he was the enemy. Angel just watched.

Angel smiled and he saw him move his lips. "That's how the world is, we're bad and they're good."

Wonwoo screamed as he opened his eyes. It was dark, it was still night and Mingyu wasn't at his side, he felt like everything had been a dream, being with Mingyu, his love and everything. He was soaking in sweat when the door opened and he saw Mingyu, his face turned in horror. Wonwoo felt like crying. He felt guilty, that night his feelings were also on the line and he didn't understood that until he talked again with Angel. Mingyu ran to his side and hugged him. There was nothing to say.

 

* * *

 

 

The morning came upon Wonwoo and he woke up, alone again. He walked out his room to find someone else but there was no one but him and Soonyoung. Soonyoung was in the table, eating his breakfast slowly, bored.

"Hi hyung, where's everyone?" Mingyu asked but got no answer. He walked towards the kitchen and got a tupperware from the fridge. "Soonyoung, where's everyone?" Wonwoo repeated but he got no answer, the man in question just stared at him, annoyed, he was staring, as if he tried to kill him by just looking at him. "Fuck you," Wonwoo said, tired of that.

"I'm the one who should said that," Soonyoung answered.

"I'm so fucking tired of your shit," Wonwoo said, taking a knife and fork to walk towards his room.

"You killed him," Soonyoung said.

"I tried my best to save him but he was stubborn," Wonwoo just said, walking again, reaching the stairs.

"I heard the recording," Soonyoung said and Wonwoo froze. "You didn't want Jihoon to kill your precious friend, doesn't it?"

"Don't misunderstand, he was my friend, I felt no loyalty towards him to forgive, not after all he did," Wonwoo replied, feeling his heart racing on his chest.

"It didn't seemed like it and Jihoon knew it, you betrayed us, Mingyu can be blind but I'm not," Soonyoung said.

"You're blinded with hatred. This is Angel's plan, he's playing with your mind," Wonwoo said, turning to face Soonyoung. "He kills for fun, he kills because he thinks he has the right to, not only humans but ghouls alike," Wonwoo said, his voice breaking. "Jihoon wasn't a saint Soonyoung, you know that."

"He was."

"No, he wasn't he killed childs, he killed babies, he killed some ghouls that didn't deserve a death and less the death he gave them," Wonwoo said, raising his voice. "He tortured them."

"Jihoon was a good man," Soonyoung replied, walking towards Wonwoo.

"Jihoon was a merciless killer. He killed my parents, he killed my friends and you want me to just act like he was a perfect man? No Soonyoung, he was more a monster that I could have ever be."

Soonyoung ran towards Wonwoo. He throw a punch on Wonwoo's face, making him to let his tupperware fall onto the floor, spilling its contents. The smell felt stronger, the blood and rotten flesh. Wonwoo wasn't thinking about doing anything but that was the only tupperware left. There were no food for him and he was hungry.

"He was a fucking monster," Wonwoo yelled, he ducked as Soonyoung tried to punch him again. He took the fork that has fallen onto the floor. He stood up again stabbing Soonyoung on the eye with the fork. He screamed and cried. "I can't mourn him, I hated his guts, I hated him but I would never be glad that he's dead if you're thinking that."

Soonyoung took the fork from his eye and tried to do the same to Wonwoo but he punched his arm, breaking his bone. It wasn't taking too much effort to take him down and that was weird, Soonyoung was almost as good as a Associate Special Class Investigator. The man in question kept trying to punch Wonwoo and he knew that he wasn't on his best state. Barely sleeping or eating. He was rotting as his food on the floor.

The door opened, Mingyu walked in.  Soonyoung didn't paid attention to his superior, still trying to win a fight that was impossible for him to win. Wonwoo saw Mingyu's distressed face and couldn't help but to hit Soonyoung on the stomach and then on the back of his head. Taking him out of battle. He sighed and walked to his room, empty handed, not even caring about his food anymore.

 

* * *

 

 

"You're betraying us."

"No, Jihoon, listen to me, that's not a thing."

"You're a liar."

"Jihoon, stop, stop it, if we fight together we'll be able to overpower him."

"I don't want to hear anything from you traitor."

"Jihoon, listen to me, I'm not the villain."

"You're as ruthless as him, playing with Mingyu's feelings."

"Don't you dare, I would never."

"Don't ever dare to say another word."

 

* * *

 

 

As he sat on the same table as always, Wonwoo passed the pages of the book Seungkwan have placed in front of him, the sides of the book were all scribbled with news and downs on the ward. He sighed and took a sip of his cup.

"Are you sure this is everything?" Wonwoo asked and Seungkwan nodded.

"Is all the information Seokmin gave us," Seungkwan answered.

"This sucks, there's nothing new and now they have changed even their hunting habits," Wonwoo hissed, closing the book, placing it on Seungkwan's chest a way too harshly. "They want a war."

"I'm sorry," Seungkwan said, not knowing what to say.

"It's not your fault."

"Hyung," Seungkwan said, sitting in front of Wonwoo, brushing Wonwoo's hand with his fingers. "They're planning something and I'm pretty sure is nothing good for you, you're no longer safe with them."

"What about Mingyu?" Wonwoo asked feeling his chest tighten on the idea of the youngers worrying about him.

"You can bring him with you, just stop this," Seungkwan said as he started to cry. "Please, I don't want to see you die, I don't want to see anyone else  die."

"I won't die Seungkwan, I promise you," Wonwoo said and brushed Seungkwan's cheek with his hand. "I want to make a better world for you and Vernon, I want you to be happy."

"We're happy like this, with you," Seungkwan answered, placing his hand over Wonwoo's hand on his cheek.

"I don't want you to fear anything anymore."

"I won't fear anything if you're safe with us," Seungkwan said again and in that moment Wonwoo felt like they didn't understood the whole situation, what he tried to do with Mingyu but they were kids, he couldn't blame them. They had lived the most wonderful lives while his was destroyed on his early days.

"I'll try my best," Wonwoo simply answered, retracting his hand and leaving the place, Seungkwan was still crying. Wonwoo didn't understood that he was the only person beside Vernon that was left on Seungkwan's life. He was important and he was putting his life on the line everyday. He didn't understood how close he was to the end.

 

* * *

 

 

The meeting was almost finishing. There were no improvements on finding Angel or Priest, as if they had disappeared at least but that wasn't the thing, Wonwoo knew that very well.

"Food," Jun asked and everyone looked at Wonwoo who was spacing out.

"We have someone who collect bodies," Wonwoo answered.

"Means, that he kills people?" Chan asked nervously.

"No, he looks for some dead bodies, suicides or dead people on morgues that haven't been claimed," Wonwoo answered, tired and sad. The feelings within him were a warning but he ignored it. "Even nice ghouls are allowed to kill."

"What do you mean?" Wonwoo heard Mingyu asking and he bit his lip, completely awake.

"Well, I have killed some people they deserved to be killed," Wonwoo answered, playing with his hands. "Not all people are good," Wonwoo said, feeling overwhelmed of his past.

"Let's get back in track," Jun said.

"They left, but they're planning something big," Wonwoo said. "We haven't even found any hunting ground that Priest had been stepped on."

"But, you have found something else," Jun said.

"Yes, I've got their names, their birth names." Wonwoo said and he put a stack of papers on the table. "Angel's real name is Jeonghan and Priest is Joshua," He said. "They have a nasty past even for us." Jun took the papers and passed the pages, feeling his jaw drop at every word.

 

* * *

 

 

Mingyu's and Wonwoo's lips met. The taste was sweet. It felt like the world around them didn't mattered. It was good, it was a weird moment for them. The solitude, the tranquility, it was a magical thing they enjoyed. They kissed for a few minutes, not letting the moment lead them. When they parted ways, Wonwoo looked at his boyfriend eyes. It felt empty, as if it wasn't really Mingyu looking at him. No, Mingyu was sad, under everything, Mingyu was still sad and Wonwoo saw everything because he felt guilty. Wonwoo pulled Mingyu again to kiss him, trying to no cry. It break him to know that his boyfriend missed someone else more than he missed him.

It wasn't the truth but it felt like it.

 

* * *

 

Wonwoo looked at Jihoon, his face getting red as he attacked him. Angel just looked at them amused. Wonwoo ducked any attack.

"Listen to me!" Wonwoo yelled but it was no use on it. He released his kagune when he saw Angel got on the move, using it to push Jihoon out of Angel line of fire, too much for Jihoon's dislike.

"Shut the fuck up!" Jihoon answered, doing his best to attack both parts at the same. Angel's laugh resonated on the place, it was soft but it was something else on it too, something that scared Wonwoo.

When Wonwoo opened his eyes, he felt eyes over him. There was Mingyu sitting besides him on the bed and the other were on the doorframe, looking at him with scared expressions drawn on their faces.

"Are you okay?" Mingyu asked, caressing Wonwoo's cheek and he didn't answered just hugged Mingyu.

"I'm sorry," he cried, hugging his boyfriend as strong as he could "It was my fault, Mingyu, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, it's okay" Mingyu answered, caressing his back as he cried, feeling a knot down his throat. Mingyu didn't understood what was happening to his boyfriend but he tried to calm him down. "Guys, go to bed, I'll stay with him," he said.

"But..." Chan said, Minghao, took Chan by the arm and shook his head. It wasn't the moment and he understood that very well.

"GO AWAY!" Mingyu yelled, making the grip on Wonwoo stronger, pressing him against his chest. Everyone fled to their own room. "Everything is okay baby," he kept saying, not believing his own words. Wonwoo pushed him away, still crying.

"It's my fault Jihoon died," Wonwoo mumbled making Mingyu to hug him again. "I wasn't careful enough."

"You did your best, you did all you could do," Mingyu caressed Wonwoo's head. "It wasn't your fault."

“It was all my fault, if I wasn't messing with Jeonghan back then," Wonwoo mumbled, Mingyu pushed him away, looking him directly at his eyes. Wonwoo shivered.

"What do you mean?"

Wonwoo, looked at Mingyu and saw something that made him felt uncomfortable.

"I made a mistake, back then I made a mistake and Jihoon misunderstood me," Wonwoo answered slowly, every word trying to be stuck at the back of his throat.

"What did you do?" Mingyu took him by the shoulders. "Wonwoo, don't lie to me."

"I just joked with him, I did it as the old times," Wonwoo breathed. "Jihoon thought I was lying to you."

"That's it?" Mingyu asked.

"Yes," Wonwoo answered, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"It's okay," Mingyu said. "I thought you were cheating."

Wonwoo laughed.

"Jeonghan and Joshua had been together since I met them," Wonwoo answered. "They could never cheat on each other," Wonwoo left a soft smile perk on his lips. Mingyu kissed him, the sweet taste made him push Wonwoo on the bed. "Stop," Wonwoo breathed.

"Just tonight," Mingyu pleaded as his lips moved down his neck.

Minyu's lips traveled down Wonwoo's neck. Wonwoo let Mingyu do what he wanted, it was a normal thing, Mingyu pleaded, Wonwoo laughed and they kissed, but this time didn't feel like it. It felt different. It felt like something was missing. They were making love and it felt familiar yet foreign. Wonwoo hugged Mingyu by the neck, letting a loud moan out of his mouth, unable to contain himself.

It felt empty.

Wonwoo pulled Mingyu closer for a kiss, trying to avoid any other feeling from building within him but it was impossible, he felt it at the back of his throat. He feel like crying. He thought like he should be enjoying his time with Mingyu.

 

* * *

 

 

There could be a lot of lies that Wonwoo could say and "Everything is okay" could be one of them but after Jihoon's death anything was fine. Wonwoo couldn't lie, he enjoyed the peaceful feeling on the house, even though Soonyoung took Jihoon's place on hating him. Even though Wonwoo loved the tranquility, last time he felt it, it felt the same, hollow and wrong. That time Jihoon died. So he looked at Mingyu at the corner of his eye, thinking on just one thing, pushing his mind off the cliff.

"I'll save him," Wonwoo thought as he pushed a piece of meat on his already filled mouth choking on it. Blood spilling on the corner on the corner of his lips "I will protect him."

A creaking sound woke him up.

"Hyung, you're overeating," Vernon said, slowly. Wonwoo swallowed the food, munching another piece of meat.

"I have to protect him," Wonwoo answered as he kept eating.

"There are other ways of protecting him," Vernon said, feeling unable to step closer to Wonwoo. "What about running away?"

"There's no place to run away," Wonwoo retorted. His teeth already drenched on blood. He took another bite. The raw meat not even tasting as good as before but not able to stop to keep eating.

"Mingyu isn't useless," Vernon said, looking with sad eyes to the older.

"Jihoon was the best and yet, look where he's now, buried and dead," Wonwoo felt like crying, still pushing more and more food down his throat.

"This still isn't the best," Vernon said. "Look what you're doing to yourself," he raised his voice.

"I'm trying to save him, I will protect him."

Vernon looked at him as Wonwoo threw another skull to the pile of bones at his back. He looked and he took another body and started to rip it. That wasn't the Wonwoo he met years ago and swore to protect them.

 

* * *

 

 

That time when they kissed, Mingyu tasted the blood on Wonwoo's lips but even when he tried to get used to it, there was something different on it, this time but not only  that, there was also something different on Wonwoo. Wonwoo wasn't the same person but Mingyu didn't wanted to think about it, he was scared. He was scared to lose him as Jihoon lost Seungcheol. He didn't wanted to push Wonwoo even further but he didn't understood either that he was pushing him to a place no one could reach him. The darkness of his own doubts.

Both were afraid on different ways.

Mingyu hugged Wonwoo once again, feeling him as a soulless doll and he tightened the grip on him, trying not to cry. He kissed him, the metallic taste of his lips were disgusting, it were strong, it wasn't the regular after eating taste, it was completely different but Mingyu didn't wanted to push it. Will that scare Wonwoo? It was because Wonwoo wasn't good anymore? The worried were down buried on his mind as he kept kissing him, the taste became stronger. The moment Wonwoo pushed him to the bed he understood, he understood the fear. The fear of the peaceful days and the empty feeling of them. A void that couldn't be really be filled. He felt it before. They had felt it before but there were no reason to fear. Not that day.

"We will find a way," Mingyu whispered to Wonwoo's ear.

Wonwoo's mind was on another place. He didn't paid attention nor cared. Mingyu was the only one on his mind and make him happy was one of those things. He kept kissing Mingyu, sitting on his lap. Wonwoo's mind was elsewhere but Mingyu took no notice, enjoying his attention before having sex.

 

* * *

 

 

Jun gave a stack of papers to Wonwoo directly who looked at him disconcerted.

"What's this?" Wonwoo asked.

"Your subordinates are doing a great job but  weirdly, they're giving every inform to me instead of you," Jun said. "This is the last one."

"Oh, thank you," Wonwoo answered, ready to leave.

"Wonwoo, I don't know what's happening in that house of yours but, this is not a good sign," Jun said.

"There's nothing to worry about," Wonwoo answered releasing himself from Jun's grip. He just nodded and let Wonwoo to leave. Wonwoo looked at the new information, and found that the kids had found Angel's whereabouts, a hideout full of ghoul's, strong ghouls and really revengeful ones.

Wonwoo's heart stopped as he read known names. He thought about ripping the papers but he was sure there were just copies. He would talk about it directly with the kids.

He reread Vernon and Seungkwan's name. Feeling how his heart tried to burst out his chest. Everything was a mess. There was something completely wrong in all of this but he got all blind and he missed it. Did his favorite boys just betrayed him? No, that couldn't be a thing.

There should be a reason and he surely will find it.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo stepped in the house, he was angry. He heard the team's laugh and he walked towards them.

"Who was the one who did this report?" Wonwoo asked, throwing the papers on the table.

"I did," Soonyoung said.

"I had to see that coming," Wonwoo said. "You have to change it and apologize."

"Why? I did my job."

"You should have give that report to me before to give it to Jun," Wonwoo retorted. "It's anything but bullshit."

"In fact it was a well done report and investigation," Soonyoung answered, looking to the younger ones. "Right?" they nodded in fear.

"What? Seungkwan is weaker than a ladybug and Vernon is as useless as a goat," Wonwoo said, feeling the anger inside him. Eating him.

"We did our fucking investigation and if I didn't gave you the report directly to you or Mingyu it's because of this," Soonyoung said, walking towards his room. "If you had a problem with it, go to talk to them."

"FUCK YOU!" Wonwoo yelled, feeling his heart stop but it felt right, it felt like it was something it had to be done. He smiled as he opened the fridge, finding empty, he mumbled under his breath as he saw the kitchen's trash can full of blood.

"I'm sorry Hyung," Minghao said making Wonwoo turn and look to him. His blonde dyed hair made him look younger and cuter.

"What for?" Wonwoo asked.

"Skipping you," Minghao continued. "We knew it would interfere with work so we thought on give the information directly to Jun.” Wonwoo sighed and shook his head.

"It's okay, just, don't do it again.” Both young males nodded and he left them taking his phone and playing with him, not knowing what would be good to do. He was afraid to had been betrayed by his beloved friends.

 

* * *

 

 

At the back of his head, Wonwoo thought that he had to chose between humans or ghouls and the answer should have been easy. Ghouls. It wasn't so simple as Mingyu was there between the humans. His heart already belonged to him and that made him wonder what was truly the right thing to do. He pushed another piece of meat between his teeth. He was eating glamorously as Seungkwan was sitting in front of him, eating.

"How it is?" Wonwoo asked.

"Fine, a little salty but good," Seungkwan answered as the fork stopped on his mouth.

"I'm sorry, it's the best I could get."

"It's okay for you to hunt?" Seungkwan asked. "Does Mingyu know?"

"There's no need for him to know," Wonwoo answered as he kept eating. Brain again. "Is there something you want to tell me?" Wonwoo asked, not taking his eyes from Seungkwan, watching how he tensed after his words.

"No, nothing," Seungkwan answered.

"Sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"And what about this?" Wonwoo said as he put the information his squad got and Seungkwan gulped, letting his silverware fall into the plate in front of him.

"That's a misunderstanding," Seungkwan answered, sweating, biting his lip.

"What's happening?"

"We're worried and we thought that maybe those guys knew a thing or two that could help us to control you," Seungkwan answered. "Hyung, you're losing your mind like years ago."

"You don't need to worry about that," Wonwoo answered, caresing Seungkwan's hand.

"Of course we do," Seungkwan answered, feeling his cheeks turn red. "There's still a bunch of bones we can't get rid of, there's still a lot of meat you eat on a daily basis," He said, taking away his hand from Wonwoo's touch. "Hyung, you have lost time lapse the last few days," Seungkwan said, his face showing the worry he felt. "You don't even know why we have this dinner."

"It's your birthday," Wonwoo answered.

"No, my birthday was weeks ago," Seungkwan said. "Today's my sister's death anniversary," he said, pushing his empty plate in front of Wonwoo. "You don't even remember that we went to their grave, did you?" he stood up and walked away. Holding back some tears. He didn't felt hurt by any means but he felt like there was something that would go wrong. Whether it was between them and Wonwoo or Wonwoo and Mingyu. It could even be the world against Wonwoo and Mingyu. He didn't know but it made him hard to breath.

 

* * *

 

 

When Mingyu saw Wonwoo's smile to the higher ups and how those seem to have forgotten with who they were dealing made him proud. It was a barrier they were slowly breaking in their own way. It seemed they wanted to understand him now, to know him even. Mingyu hugged his boyfriend from the back make him jump on surprise.

There was something on his boyfriend that made him uneasy.

"You seem to have made many friends," Mingyu said smiling widely.

"Of course not, they’re were just passing by and saying hello," Wonwoo said.

"You're a pretty bad liar."

"Hey, I'm good at lying," Wonwoo puted making Mingyu pushing him closer to his body. "The have been changing, don't know why, you said something to them?"

"No, nothing," Mingyu answered, placing a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek.

"They have been nice lately," Wonwoo said placing his hand on his chin.

"There's a raid close, maybe they are just expecting to not be killed by you," Mingyu said, mockingly, getting a hit from Wonwoo.

"That's mean, I'm not a murderer," Wonwoo said, feeling hurt.

"I know, but maybe they don't understand how sweet and cute you are," Mingyu said, a wide smile on his lips.

"Well, then you now really have to say something." Mingyu laughed, making Wonwoo to pout again. "I'm serious Kim Mingyu," Wonwoo said releasing his body from Mingyu's grip. "Do something, I don't want to be known as a murderer."

"They don't think that you're a murderer," Mingyu said and Wonwoo bit his lip. He had pressed some buttons.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, they understand, maybe how you feel at last," Mingyu said. Kissing his boyfriend temple and letting him go. Wonwoo let a whimper making Mingyu laugh. He just left Wonwoo alone. Somehow the distance made Wonwoo feel empty.

No.

Anything and everything made Wonwoo feel empty. The touch, the kisses, the loneliness and the love. It was something it wasn't meant to. He felt, as if, at the back of his head, he thought his relationship with Mingyu wasn't real.

It was wrong.

Wonwoo shook his head. His relationship was beautiful. There was nothing wrong with it, he tried to brush anything from his head but there was something on it. It was a tiny doubt and it drove him mad.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo tried to talk with Vernon about him and Seungkwan but he brushed anything and ran off. It made him angry but he couldn't do anything, being this untrusty with them it was wrong.

As if he trusted the Quinx more than his loved friends and it wasn't the case, but he couldn't brush the idea of his head, maybe he had been careless, he didn't gave them enough care and protection and they wandered. Both kids got talent and with a little practice their hunting capabilities could be as good as his.

He slid his book on the counter and Seokmin took it, his smile wide as always, as if he was mocking everyone on the place.

"Everything okay?" Seokmin asked.

"Yeah," Wonwoo asked as Seokmin took the book and slid it under the counter and placed it again over it, a piece of paper between the pages. Wonwoo took it and went to sit again. Read it the lines, his eyes opening wide as he read the information.

What Wonwoo didn't know it was that, Seokmin smile was in fact mocking him. Playing him games and the man kept smiling, his smile going farther on his lips as he saw Wonwoo's jaw drop.

Jeon Wonwoo never mistreated his precious friends. He treated with care and love but he didn't know there were something there, in front his noses that made them go against his will.

There were lies and secrets nobody really new.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo didn't dared to say anything. Not to Seungkwan or Vernon and less to Mingyu. That broke him apart but that wouldn't part them away, he swore. He wouldn't let anything interfere in their relationship as the things went to Jihoon and Seungcheol. The things weren't easy as they prepared to an upcoming raid. His feeling getting on the line as he knew that Vernon would be in there, on the enemy lines. Wonwoo cursed Angel for being pretty and himself for being careless.

There were many things Wonwoo ignored. Vernon's reasons and Mingyu's fear. It were many things and he was blinded by his own thoughts, by his own selfishness.

Mingyu's blindfold had fallen under Wonwoo's hand and he put it happily. Without regrets.

 

* * *

 

 

On the new formation for the raid, Mingyu and Wonwoo were paired. The Quinx Squad was put on his own but they weren't worried, Soonyoung was a good person and he would protected no matter what it will cost. He would put his life on the line, that worried Mingyu.

Mingyu looked at his boyfriend, not feeling at ease. There was nothing on his face, no fear, no anger, nothing. Every emotion was erased and he became a doll. It scared Mingyu to the bone and made his heart skip a beat.

"Wonwoo," Mingyu Whispered as they walked on the corridors. The life and light came back to Wonwoo's face and he felt like breathing again.

"Yes?," Wonwoo said, looking to the younger one. Mingyu shook his head as he took the lead. He wanted to protect Wonwoo. He wanted to protect him no matter what. Wonwoo sniffed something and took the lead, his eyes turning red. Mingyu shivered.

Everything was so fast.

Wonwoo pushed him with his kagune. Pushing a young male away, using his body. By his position, Mingyu couldn't see who it was but there was something else on everything that made him guess.

"What's happening?" Mingyu asked.

"Stay away from this," Wonwoo said, pushing him further. "What's wrong with you?" he asked the young male, he hissed and jumped backwards then started to run. Wonwoo followed him. "You, lil' shit, come back" he yelled. Mingyu stayed frozen on the spot before reacting and running after Wonwoo.

Wonwoo chased Vernon to an open place. He was frowning. Anger within the young male.

"You can't change the world," Vernon hissed, making Wonwoo step back.

"What happened?"

"They took her," Vernon answered, whimpering, almost crying. "They took Sophia."

"Why didn't you told me?" Wonwoo asked, his kagune retreating and his eyes turning again dark brown.

"What could you do?" Vernon said. "You can't help us this way, and you know it," Vernon released his kagune and Wonwoo stepped back, releasing his to protect himself.

It hit him.

He had been playing. There's no better world. He was just helping on killing ghouls and he was blinded by his love for Mingyu. Mingyu was nice, there were more good people but not all of them.

"How?" Wonwoo dared to ask.

"What?" Vernon answered dumbfounded.

"How they found her?"

"Don't know, they just took her."

Wonwoo released two more tentacles besides his three regular ones, attacking Vernon, trying to stop his attacks.

There was something else. Something missing. Sophia was Vernon's light, there would be no way that he would let that happen, unless someone had opened their mouth.

Wonwoo hugged Vernon as he cried. Vernon tensed at his touch. Mingyu came and he couldn't say a word when he saw Wonwoo.

"You have to take him away," Vernon whispered, pushing his tail inside Wonwoo's body, piercing his stomach. Wonwoo grumbled.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Mingyu yelled running towards the young male, being stopped by Wonwoo.

"Leave it," Wonwoo said. Vernon just saw them and ran away. "There's something else." He said, his wounds healing faster than usual. Scaring Mingyu. Mingyu tried to hide any worry and fear, he didn't wanted to feel it at the moment and he didn't wanted to doubt Wonwoo.

"Why is Vernon here?!" Mingyu asked.

"Don't know and I really wanna find out," Wonwoo answered, walking towards the place Vernon ran. Something at the back of his head telling him to go away, to ran away, to take Mingyu and hide forever but he ignored it. He still thought Vernon and Seungkwan were the most importat people on his life. 'Forgive me Mingyu,' he thought. 'You were five years later.' His kagune shone like never before as he felt his stomach full. He had his five senses on alert as he walked, Vernon already out of sight.

Seokmin entered from a nearby Window, his mouth covered.

"They're upstairs," he said and Wonwoo nodded, the male disappeared as fast as he came. They walked, guided by Wonwoo's senses.

"Wonwoo, tell me what's happening," Mingyu begged on a whisper as the walked.

"I don't know either," Wonwoo answered. He was honest. He didn't know.

There was something odd on everything. He felt eyes watching him. He was surrounded. He felt paranoid but there were more on it.

"Stay close," Wonwoo said as he walked, his kagune still shining on his back.

Everything was empty. He heard the echo of their footsteps.

Odd.

Silence was scary, was a premonition. As if they were on a void. Nothing.

Nothing. The sound of his footsteps had vanished.

Every sound had disappeared.

No.

Wonwoo turned to see Mingyu's face turned in horror, as Wonwoo's body was pierced on the chest, breaking a his ribs. His kagune reacted on the pain, going crazy.

"Hide," Wonwoo mumbled to Mingyu. "Run," he pronounced in a broken voice as his own kagune started to run on his face, covering his face.

Mingyu froze on the spot.

The kagune should have an end, Wonwoo knew that and tried to find it. He let his kagune go wild, turning around the room without fearing to hurt anyone, Mingyu was in front of him, he couldn't hurt him and he didn't care about anyone anymore. The kagune twirled and hit someone at his back, making the kagune vanish. His wound started to heal. Slowly this time. He cursed under his breath, he turned around to see Priest.

Priest was a handsome man, not as tall as Mingyu but their beauty were outstanding. A cross on his ear. Ironic.

Priest was smiling.

Wonwoo started to feel nothing. His mind went blank but there was just one thought on his head: Save Mingyu. There was a thought on his mind but besides that, there was nothing, he was blinded.

"You were always so weak," Joshua said. Wonwoo glared, he kept pushing Mingyu aside much to his disdain. Mingyu was a ghoul investigator and he didn't felt fine by  just standing aside without doing anything at all.

If Mingyu was told everyone the truth, he was scared.

Mingyu was scared of Wonwoo.

It wasn't the kagune, even after going wild and become a half kakuja. It was absolutely beautiful. There was an unknown beauty on it. It was Wonwoo himself. He was acting as if he was another person. That scared Mingyu the most. Feeling that he didn't really know the person he said to be loving.

He stared at Wonwoo as he fought Priest. Joshua's kagune was a bikaku.  A sole tail wiggled close to him, it was big and looked like a dragon.

"I'm gonna save him," Wonwoo said, letting himself lose all his senses. He didn't even were aware of his surroundings anymore.

Someone took Mingyu by his arm, pulling him away from the fight.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo placed his head on Mingyu's chest. Smelling him, hearing his soft breath as the younger slept under him. The first rays of sun came from the window. The morning was starting and Wonwoo was happy to starting it with Mingyu close to him.

It were perfect.

He love it. He loved the easiness of his new life and how complete it seemed to be, but it was empty the same. He was in a cage, different from the older one. Life was easy but, just for him. Wonwoo hugged Mingyu tightly.

He wanted every ghoul feel the same freedom as him. He wanted everyone to stop running away, hiding and fearing. It was impossible. The world wasn't like that, it wasn't easy to do. Make everyone believe ghouls weren't bad.

Impossible, surreal. An utopia.

"Are you okay?" Mingyu asked as he watched his boyfriend.

"Just, thinking," Wonwoo answered honestly. "I love you," he said, hiding his face on Mingyu's chest.

"I love you too," Mingyu said, smiling, hugging Wonwoo. He knew what was going through his head, he understood Wonwoo, better than he wanted to believe.

That was their shared dream even when they never talked about it.

 

* * *

 

 

Jun and Wonwoo shared a table on the coffee shop once in awhile. That morning was different than the other ones as it was before their biggest raid, both of them were worried for different reasons but worried the same.

"Wonwoo, what do you want to do?" Jun asked to take a sip on his coffee.

"What do you mean?"

"You're with us but there has to be something else on your mind to agree with all of this," Jun said.

"Well, I agreed all of this because I liked Mingyu," Wonwoo confessed, his cheeks turning red. He took a sip on his coffee and changed the page on his book. Jun smiled.

"You were already in love with him," Jun said mockingly.

"No," Wonwoo said as he almost choked on his coffee. "He was a nice person, he didn't just killed me, he showed me some mercy even when I was a ghoul," he said slowly, turning again the page of his book. "He showed me another side of the world, that there could be hope for us." Jun smiled at him.

"Mingyu never said it out loud," Jun started to say, playing with his cup. "He always wanted people live with ghouls freely, without fear and killings," Jun looked at his friend. "When Minghao took the operation I was afraid and a part of me wanted to be like Mingyu."

"That is why you were against the operation?"

"Yes, I never had anything against you," Jun said, blushing. "I was scared that Minghao became something I swore to fight against. I want to be like Mingyu, but I'm not."

"You're with me, you can be the same, you know," Wonwoo said. "Please, support him, there are ghouls that should be helped."

"It's just a dream Wonwoo," Jun said. "You're lucky to have found Mingyu and have this opportunity," he said and took his hand. "But, there's no way it could be something like this for everyone."

"There's alway hope," Wonwoo said. "Just help him to make it true," Wonwoo smiled at Jun.

"Why you sound like you're about to die?" Jun asked and Wonwoo took away his hand and smiled at him.

"There's nothing to worry about."

"If you say so."

 

* * *

 

 

As Wonwoo recalled his past, he let all his dreams and desires to overcome his mind.

Priest didn't shown any fear towards him. Nobody would. Wonwoo had became an empty shell. There was nothing on his mind but the ideas he had built besides Mingyu, with his love.

Wonwoo hit everything, crying.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Wonwoo cried.

At the end he understood. No. Wonwoo remembered.

There's no way they would be free.

"Jeonghan is alive," Joshua said, a smile on his face. There were no answer on Wonwoo's face. He had given up.

There were no reason to fight if it was a lost cause.

A Kagune pierced his body but it wasn't Priest's. The tail moved around Priest, it was someone else and when he saw it, he felt betrayed.

Wonwoo cried.

"I'm sorry Mingyu," he breathed as Joshua's kagune decapitated him.

Seokmin sat besides him, retracting his kagune from Wonwoo's body. A smile still drawn on his face. He laughed at Wonwoo's despair, at his crying face as his head rolled on the dirtied floor.

The kagune vanished on the air and Mingyu were there, looking and crying. Vernon released him and he ran towards the head. Mingyu took it, he barely seeing anything at all. The tears making his sight blurry.

He couldn't say anything or think about something. Seokmin disappeared in the shadows, as fast as he appeared and Joshua looked at him with something close with sadness or melancholy. Perhaps he saw something he missed before.

Even Joshua felt hurt. He saw, no, he felt the pain Mingyu was feeling on those seconds and he understood. He wanted to never understand those feeling but seeing him, crying over a ghoul's body, over the body of his beloved he knew there were a hope after all.

Ghoul's shouldn't be fighting each other.

Wonwoo shown a pat the were never asking for and Mingyu was about to follow it.

There was something else about Wonwoo's death that only Mingyu understood and he placed his heart and soul on it.

Mingyu was now alone or he thought so.

 

* * *

 

 

"Are you okay?" Vernon asked and he put the coffee cup on the table.

"Which book was his favorite?" Mingyu asked.

"Every one that could make him have hope for a better world," Vernon answered leaving him alone.

"There is no such thing," Mingyu breathed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saying I'm sorry counts? This was supposed to be the end but not like this, I have thought of it a way different. I don't know how happened but I have dropped many easter eggs in here without even noticing myself. Can you find it? Many are sentences that seem to not fit in the story but they do.
> 
> What are your expectantions now?
> 
> Even though there's only one chapter left. I have many side stories to write. Like Quinx Squad and Jeonghan's and Joshuas's, even the relationships that I just mentioned. My favorite so far is Soonyoung side story. I fell in love with his bright personality. 
> 
> Kakuja: Though it is rare, it can occur through repeated cannibalization. When a ward has a higher ghoul to human ratio, cannibalization is more common due to turf wars and limited food supply.


	5. The lies whitin their hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never trust his smile.

There were many things that could be said but that they were completely honest with each other wasn't one of them. Even if they tried to deny it, they have said so many lies to each other.

The time Mingyu told about Wonwoo about the testament, he lied. He didn't told Wonwoo about it because it scared him. The thought of losing Wonwoo scared him. He was scared that when Wonwoo wrote his will it would be his end. Then he lied to ease his heart.

There were many other lies.

The lies Wonwoo told hurt his heart.

Wonwoo have lied since the beginning. From the time they met to the day he died. It was a big fat lie but there were a thing he was honest about. Jeon Wonwoo loved Kim Mingyu more than anything else in this world.

His name was a lie. Jeon Wonwoo as he claimed to be his name was a lie, he liked the name so he kept it. No harm was done. It was even nice to be called like that. It wasn't a bad thing.

When Mingyu and Wonwoo met, Wonwoo had been with Jeonghan and Joshua, planning, laughing. It never were a mistake, he was there because he was friends with them. Nevertheless, he didn't lied when he said Joshua hated him. It was true. He fought Jeonghan once, hurt his face and left it close to death, Joshua surely hated him for that. Jeonghan trated Wonwoo as his child. He liked him since he came to the team back in his early years. Jeonghan forgave Wonwoo but not Joshua. He would never forget.

Everything was to pursue their dreams.

 

They were on the top of the building when they heard the CCG moving. So they stood still in the shadows, watching them move, getting in line for the upcoming fight.

"Him," Jeonghan said, pointing to a tall man, well, he looked tall besides his partner, his dirty blonde hair shone in the light making Wonwoo to focus on the man he was about to deceive.

"Why him?" Wonwoo asked, not questioning the mission itself but the man in question.

"He will be easy to fool," Joshua said, brushing away Jeonghan's arm from around Wonwoo's shoulders.

"Why are you so sure?" Wonwoo asked again.

"I have been looking around and I heard him several times, he has doubts. Many doubts. It would be easy, just do as we say. This will work, hide until we tell you," Joshua said, getting angry at all the questioning.

"I might be a little rusty," Wonwoo said smirking and Jeonghan cracked a loud laugh.

"I doubt it," Jeonghan said still laughing. Wonwoo joined.

"See ya," Wonwoo said as he moved to hide on the shadows for almost the whole raid, when he saw Mingyu, swinging his shoulders he blushed under his mask. He was a handsome man, he put all the plan on the move. Most of the investigators were busy upstairs with Joshua. Jeonghan hiding. They would never catch them. Never. Both of them were the best together, as if their love pushed them to the edge to be stronger. It was beautiful, Wonwoo thought starting to move. He wasn't distracted by his thoughts when he was hurt by Mingyu, everything was part of the plan. Almost everything.

It wasn't on the plan falling in love.

\----

The letters were part of the plan. Seokmin was in charge on getting the information, his ways were unknown but he always got them right. So he pushed the mysterious ghoul and relationship until it was necessary. Things came out a little different. A little too much but it helped a lot. They planned on let Wonwoo on cochlea until the things were absolutely on the move, brainwashing Mingyu. Easy. Controlling him, making him fall in love and make him unable to say no to Wonwoo. Sickly and hard but Wonwoo was charming and smart. It was a piece of cake.

Then, Wonwoo fell in love. He saw him many times in the shop, He heard him -Wonwoo had an akin sense of hearing-, he liked him. Mingyu was charming too, he was silly and Wonwoo started to feel bad about everything but he kept that inside, there was no need to worry everybody because of his feelings. The things had to be done and there was absolutely no mistake. Mingyu was the right man for it.

Mingyu was the man but he was unpredictable. He did things they hadn't planned. He convinced everyone Wonwoo was good -there's no mistake in that, he was doing everything for a better world- and that he would be always with him. True. Wonwoo looked Mingyu sleep on their shared room on Mingyu's apartment before leaving. Every night.

He left his heart with Mingyu and the lies became a burden.

When every lie started to be hard to say, he knew he was done forever. He was crazy in love.

 

* * *

 

 

The love was real between them but he hated him too. He forgave the man sitting in front of him. The smell of blood was always strong. Seungkwan always was their waiter because he liked Mingyu, maybe a little more than he liked Vernon. Vernon always looked after Seungkwan, so did Wonwoo.

He hated Jihoon for so many reasons. Jihoon had killed most of his friends. All the people he knew were murdered by him, peaceful ghouls that only crime the had committed was to be born the way they were. Unable to be humans, to eat regular food. To enjoy the simplicity of life.

"Stop glaring," he heard and he came back to the real world. The waitress smiled at him taking his cup and placing other on the table. "Dad wouldn't like it," she smiled at him and Wonwoo smiled back.

"Sorry," Wonwoo said taking the cup, smelling it. "Just as I like," he said and the woman smiled.

"I'm glad," she said walking to attend other customers. He saw her back walking away and felt she wasn't the only one leaving him behind. Wonwoo tried to retake the reading but it was hard.

Is this what we are destined to be? Did we born to be killed? To be mistreated?

No.

Wonwoo looked again at Mingyu, at his partner. Hating on him would be the same as becoming him.

 

* * *

 

 

"You have to do what I tell you to," Jeonghan said angrily as Wonwoo refused to obey.

"But It's not really necessary to do, I can do it by myself," Wonwoo mumbled, getting nervous.

"No," Joshua said. "You're blinded," he said as he walked towards his boyfriend. "You think we can't see it but..." he said looking at Jeonghan. "Wonwoo, there's nothing wrong on it," he continued. "Love is always a blessing."

"Shut the fuck up, it has nothing to do with that," Wonwoo blushed. Jeonghan laughed hiding his mouth with his hand, making Wonwoo blush even more.

"I love how obvious you are and still, you try to deny it," Jeonghan said and stood up from he was to hug Wonwoo. "It's okay to love him but remember what we are aiming for."

Wonwoo nodded letting the good feelings get into his heart.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo hated many things, he hated the world, he hated being hungry, he hated when humans talked bad about his kind but he hated the most watching their friends sad. He watched to Seungkwan cry.

Seungkwan was weak. It was Wonwoo's fault -and many others-, by always overprotecting him. Then his sisters had to die in his place.

That second Wonwoo hated Jihoon the most.

He saw Vernon hugging Seungkwan trying his best to ease his pain. They felt empty.

The three of them, on that room, felt like the world was punish them. Like they never deserved to live in the first place, like the were born to be killed. To suffer on the hands of humankind.

No, Wonwoo thought. This is not their world, is ours. We're the strongest, we deserve to rule it.

Justice had to be made by his own hand. There was no other way. That backfired him.

Wonwoo went to kill Jihoon, when the smell of the quinque distracted him. It had a sweet smell, a faint perfume and then it was the blood, the sweat. He knew it was her. His aims were to destroy it. To destroy that weapon forever.

The worst thing beside killing them was to turn them into weapons to kill their comrades. Seungkwan couldn't know, couldn't see and smell it. No, it had to be destroyed.

He found that night. Jihoon's weakness and he would use it against him someday. He thought about it for a second before escaping, glancing one last time to the quinque.

 

* * *

 

 

When Wonwoo saw Mingyu up close, he knew. Mingyu would be his death. He'll die in cochlea, wishing just one thing: Be like Mingyu.

He didn't died as he wished for. That day, he was hugged by Mingyu as he cried. It was the first hug they shared. It was the first day Mingyu knew his face.

Mingyu loved him. He loved every part of Wonwoo. Mingyu thought he was dealing with a man with no crimes. Besides his past. He protected him to be betrayed by him.

To be stabbed on the back.

He never knew about it. He never knew about the lies he believed blindly, because he loved Wonwoo as he never loved before.

 

* * *

 

 

Joshua and Wonwoo were fighting, as usual and Jeonghan just watched them, smiling fondly.

"Stop," Jeonghan said and they obeyed. "It has to be done, take it as a gift from us," Jeonghan said.

"I don't want him dead, okay," Wonwoo replied.

"Well, we don't care, he needs to be dead," Joshua said and Wonwoo grumbled.

"It has to be another thing," Wonwoo argued.

"There's not, he dies and there's more probabilities to out plan success," Jeonghan said placing a hand on Wonwoo's shoulder.

"Fuck off," Wonwoo hissed. "If you're planning on killing him, I'm out," He said. Feeling somehow his heart lighter.

"You're throwing years of work for someone like him?," Joshua retorted.

"He's Mingyu's partner, damn it," Wonwoo said. "Mingyu love him, if I let him die, he won't forgive me."

"He would because he loves you," Jeonghan said smiling.

"I don't really care, you won't touch him," Wonwoo said. "I mean it."

"We have too," Jeonghan said and Wonwoo could hear in his voice that he really didn't wanted to go against his will.

"I'm done with you," Wonwoo said and sighed. "If you kill him, I won't forgive you and I will surely kill you."

Joshua and Jeonghan froze, looking at each other for a second. Wonwoo took the opportunity and left them.

"Are you really gonna throw everything you dream of just for him?" He heard at his back and when he turned he saw Seokmin.

"No, that's not what..."

"Wonwoo, this is not about you nor about Mingyu, it's about everyone," Seokmin said and Wonwoo stood still. "It's about Seungkwan, Vernon, Sophia and even your sister," Seokmin said and Wonwoo froze at the sole mention of her.

"It's the possibility of her living a long safe life," Wonwoo recited as Seokmin nodded, his smile never leaving his lips.

"Don't forget that."

"I won't," Wonwoo said and he walked. He went to Mingyu, he kissed him and asked for forgiveness.

He lied so many times, he hide so many things and it made it hard to breath. He wanted everything to just stop. He didn't wanted to protect anyone anymore, he wanted to run, hide and live with Mingyu.

Wonwoo just wanted to live happily with Mingyu, to forget everything besides each other.

 

* * *

 

 

The smell wasn't fain but he was sure JiHoon couldn't smell it. He entered the room alone. JeongHan was there, smiling, sitting on an empty box. He smiled at Wonwoo.

"Hi," JeongHan said waving his hand.

"I won't do it," Wonwoo said, glaring at the man.

"You will, he's getting in the way," JeongHan said as he started to frown.

"I said no."

"You have to kill him," JeongHan said and something in Wonwoo changed.

"No, I said I won't and I won't do it," Wonwoo said. Becoming the stubborn child he was back in his youth.

"Long time to no see you, Wonwoo," JeongHan said mockingly at the childish side Wonwoo was showing, making the younger blush.

"I'm glad to see you, have you decided to turn a girl for once" Wonwoo said, knowing that would get on Jeonghan's nerve.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP," JeongHan hissed and Wonwoo couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Well, I like your girly long hair," Wonwoo said and in that moment JeongHan laughed too.

"I've missed you, lazy ass," JeongHan said, like he had said many times before.

JiHoon entered, there was a red light flicking on his ear. The communication device was on and recording. Wonwoo mumbled on his breath. He had just fucked this up. Now Wonwoo had to kill JiHoon, no matter how much he wanted to avoid it. It made his best to make it as if JiHoon went out of his mind, but at the back was JeongHan, yelling at him to do his job. Nobody would notice it, he thought until the day Soonyoung said he heard the recording. The kakuhou had made Soonyoung hearing more akin, he surely heard JeongHan.

Wonwoo had to do something about that.

 

* * *

 

 

Every time Mingyu tried to make Wonwoo feel good, saying that he had tried his best to protect JiHoon it hurted him, it broke his heart. That wasn't the truth.

Wonwoo have helped to kill him.

Once again, Mingyu said that Wonwoo had tried his best and he couldn't take it anymore. He hugged his boyfriend, crying, seeking for forgiveness, apologizing in silence. It was too much, it was a lot more than Wonwoo could take.

Mingyu loved JiHoon a lot and he had took him away from him. He had taken something precious for him as he had lost everyone in his life. He felt, for the first time, like a monster. He had murdered before, an entire family once but never felt like this before. It was just the love he had to Mingyu.

He had betrayed, the person he started to think as the love of his life. All the thoughts rushed to his head until Soonyoung interrupted them.

The man was glaring at them, Wonwoo felt naked after that. He knew his secret and was scared.

Will his lies unfold someday? Will Mingyu forgive him? Will he hate him? It was a mystery and he didn't really wanted to find out about it.

It wasn't his fault. He did tried to stop that mess. It JiHoon were always so stubborn. He could not hear anything incriminating but he would turn everybody against him. Wonwoo couldn't blame a dead man. It was Jeonghan's fault. Why he had to think on that thing? Why he had to kill him?

It was unnecessary.

That have destroyed more than they wanted to believe. Wonwoo felt like that sole thing was a big betrayal, as if he had forgotten everything, all the lies, the list of times he had betrayed the man he said to be loving.

Wonwoo had to take action on this, there's no way the thing could stay the same. He had to avenge JiHoon, somehow.

 

* * *

 

 

For some odd reason Wonwoo didn't felt like he was betraying someone. No, it even felt reassured by the thought.

"I'm out," Wonwoo said to JeongHan. His face changed as his face turned.

"You can't," Joshua said.

"I'm free to do whatever I want and if you want to stop me, you'll fight me," Wonwoo said and Joshua froze, he knew for sure that even when Wonwoo was a calm person, when he was angry he could kill whoever he wanted. Joshua, knew that a by experience. Never make Wonwoo angry.

"Okay, do what you want," JeongHan said, as he walked towards his boyfriend. "The doors are always open, you can come back anytime," JeongHan said, understanding Wonwoo's reasons.

Love blind everyone. It blinded himself for some time.

Wonwoo didn't said anything and left the couple. Joshua got angry -not for long, though- at his boyfriend. Not seeing the full picture.

The info that Wonwoo handed to the CCG it wasn't just on an anger fit, it was also his confrontation to them, he had put everything he knew about them. Feeding habits, feeding ground and their sickly game. The stories behind their beautiful faces. The stories of rotten hearts. He did it for JiHoon, he thought.

 

* * *

 

 

The most important person to Seungkwan was always Vernon. Their love was something different. Seungkwan loved everything and had almost a million crushes but they never stopped them to have a good relationship. After Vernon was Wonwoo. Their protector. When the second most important person to Seungkwan started to develop and unusual appetite and to forget everything surrounding him, scared him to death. This was their end. Their peaceful desire, their dream was forgotten somewhere in that unstable mind? The answer never came and Wonwoo became more impatient, more hungry and the bodies in their basement where more than they could hide.

They thought there wasn't another way to go.

Seungkwan hung on Vernon's arm as they walked to JeongHan and Joshua. There were many ghouls and not even one of them looked like good persons. Their faces were turned in anger, as if they hated the two men walking there, to their bosses.

"Hello," JeongHan chanted happily as he pushed his boyfriend's arms away.

"Hi," Vernon said. "We need to talk with you."

"About?" Joshua said, his voice sounded nice, tender even.

"Wonwoo," Seungkwan said. His voice breaking into a high pitch sound. Joshua's face changed and turned in slight anger.

"What you want to talk about?" JeongHan said, brushing Joshua's arm, trying to calm him down.

"He's over eating," Vernon said. "He's losing his mind," he kept saying, hugging the scared Seungkwan.

"What do you mean?" JeongHan stepped away from Joshua.

"He's eating about five bodies per day and he's eating ghoul's too," Vernon said, recalling the way, Wonwoo have started to eat, forgetting the manners he even teached to them. JeongHan screeched in surprise.

"Wonwoo cannot eat that," JeongHan said, looking at Joshua. His voice sounded almost pained. "When this started to happen?"

"It has a month," Seungkwan said. "He started to forget dates too. There's a way to help him?"

"Yes and no," Joshua said. "We're not willing on risk ourselves and we don't want to risk you guys."

"I want the old Wonwoo to comeback," Seungkwan cried and Vernon hugged him.

"Is there any way?" Vernon asked.

"No," JeongHan said. "Look, the best is to let Wonwoo alone for a while. He'll behave if he kept going around with Mingyu," he said. "There is nothing to worry about."

 "Can we help? I don't think he still remember about us" Vernon said and Seungkwan pushed him away. The fear starting to appear on his face.

"I don't think?" Joshua said. "I don't think Wonwoo had teach you anything," he said.

"But I can teach you," JeongHan said, smiling widely. "Wonwoo learnt most of his techniques from me."

"I will be willing to learn," Vernon said as he looked at Seungkwan. 'I will also protect you,' he thought as he looked at his beloved boyfriend.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonwoo got the paper from Jun, an investigation done by the Quinx, he felt his heart crumble at the names there, he knew most of the but no one mattered as much as Vernon's. He didn't understood, he had made his best to have them away from this war.

It had to be a lie.

Wonwoo talked about the matter with the Quinx. In Soonyoung eyes he could see something else. He wasn't lying, in whatever investigation they made, it got for sure Vernon's presence.

That night Wonwoo ran from the house on the middle of the night. He didn't went to Vernon's, it would be wrong, he went to JeongHan, he went to the head of everything. The master mind.

JeongHan was enjoying that night with Joshua. One of their romantic dates, looking at the sky dotted with stars. Whispering sweet thing to each other ears.

"What were you thinking?" Wonwoo asked. Joshua glared at him and JeongHan sighed.

"He came and we took it," JeongHan said, squeezing his boyfriend's hand, trying to calm him down. "He's good, his potential is wasted hiding," JeongHan said, walking towards Wonwoo.

"I wanted to protect him. I wanted him to have a safe life and you destroyed it." Wonwoo said, almost yelling.

"I did nothing," JeongHan said, almost yelling, losing his composure for once. "He came to us, you should look better after them if you care that much," JeongHan said, finishing the conversation, going back to his boyfriend side, looking again to the stars.

Wonwoo froze. Look better after them? What did he missed?

His head spun at the thought.

Was he doing something wrong? He couldn't understand what it was.

 

* * *

 

 

There was something on Wonwoo's head that was really hard to forget. To erase, to dismiss and was driving him more insane that the thought of protecting Mingyu. No, both thoughts crumbled on his mind. It made him feel like there was nothing on hi life, that it was ending.

Wonwoo looked at his boyfriend.

It was the right thing? He wondered as he looked closely to the features of his face. He looked cute, it was a different side of him. The tranquility of his sleep and the soft snoring, made him cute at Wonwoo's eyes.

The doubts got bigger after every lie of his. Every thing he hid from his boyfriend.

Is this the right thing?

He didn't doubt the lies, no, he doubt the relationship that has born because of them.

At some point Wonwoo thought that his feelings were just a facade. That even his feelings for Mingyu were a lie he tried to hard to believe.

It felt like a lie, too surreal to be true.

Wonwoo kissed Mingyu, testing himself and his feelings towards the young male. How real could be their feelings? Wonwoo's body tensed at the thought. That moment, Minyu's lips tasted like never before. It was sweets, as always, but it was something else in there, mixing the feelings in his heart.

There was a feeling on his back, make him arch it a little. It was a body reflection, he tried to think but when they broke apart and Wonwoo could see Mingyu's eyes, it became something different.

His heart stopped. Skipped a beat.

The faint smile on Mingyu's lips told him. He was completely in love with that man and that man loved him back.

It couldn't be.

Mingyu pressed his body against Wonwoo's pushing his lips again on Wonwoo's. It was as magical as always has been.

Wonwoo recalled all the lies he had told. There could be no way that their love could work with all those lies in their relationship. It was real but it wasn't at the same. The feelings were real. Everything else was real too but the relationship by itself was a fake.

It broke his heart and even, his soul. How something so pure could be dirtied so easily made him feel bad. He wanted the relationship but it didn't feel like it had to be. It couldn't. Not that way, even if he loved Mingyu like anything -or anyone- in this world.

 

* * *

 

 

Besides some things that were told, there were more secret, even to Wonwoo that seemed to know everything. There was a smile that never should be trusted but then, Wonwoo trusted him. He didn't saw the malicious glimpse on his eyes. Wonwoo took Seokmin on his life.

Seokmin, wasn't as nice as he seemed to be. His smile hid everything and anything. He looked at Wonwoo, at the easy life he took. He saw the smiles and laughs and it drove him insane, then, when he met Mingyu everything changed. His attention got to him.

Mingyu was perfect. He was tall and handsome. He was strong and knew how to protect what he loved and was absolutely easy to fool.

Or Seokmin thought so.

Mingyu never fell for Seokmin's smile, he always was aware of something behind it and that made Seokmin's life more enjoyable.

When Mingyu and Wonwoo's relationship started he loved it. It was something to mess with. To destroy and it would be the funniest thing he ever would do.

Seokmin waited his whole life to an opportunity like this come. He got a plan and he put it on going. He had something anyone else had.

A bright smile that made everyone to trust him.

 

* * *

 

 

One of those nights on when Wonwoo ran away from Mingyu, Seokmin sat at his side. The sat on the rooftop of a building. Wonwoo stared at the black sky and was amazed by the star's beauty.

"What are you thinking about?" Seokmin asked.

"Nothing," Wonwoo answered.

"Are you sure?" Seokmin kept saying.

"Yeah, I like to sit and not think," Wonwoo said mockingly as he looked at the sky.

"Really? For me it seems like you're thinking about Mingyu," he said, a small smile drawn on his lips.

"I wasn't," Wonwoo said, drawing a faint smile on his face. "But, now, I am," he said and looked at Seokmin.

"Aren't you worried?"

"What about?"

"Him, dying," Seokmin made the words feel like the sole truth of the world, as if Mingyu was about to die in that exact moment, instead of being asleep on his comfortable bed, seeking for Wonwoo's warmth.

"He can take care of himself," Wonwoo retorted, no letting Seokmin's word get into his mind.

"Sure?" Seokmin asked, brushing his lips against Wonwoo's ear. Wonwoo's thought changed drastically. He thought about a war and Mingyu being in the middle of it, trying to stop it and dying.

Wonwoo could not let that happen.

"No," Wonwoo answered. Seokmin smiled widely.

"You can protect him," Seokmin said as he stood and walked away. Letting Wonwoo's thoughts pierce his mind.

I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him. I have to protect him.

Wonwoo feed himself until there wasn't anything on his mind but that sole thing.

Seokmin made of Wonwoo a soulless doll. Just with his words and he enjoyed that game. Getting into someone else's mind and see that person destroy his own life.

 

* * *

 

 

Seokmin watched the world from his shadow. He smiled because everything was so funny and all the people were easy to fool. They trusted the smile. Everyone but Mingyu, that made Seokmin uneasy about the younger.

That was the reason why he made everything so hard for both. Wonwoo was the person that believed in him the most so he used that on his benefit.

Wonwoo had fought with Jeonghan and Joshua but Seokmin never were loyal to anyone but himself. He kept doing work for both sides, giving information, telling all their secrets to each other, to keep the trust and destroy them little by little.

He watched Wonwoo fall and Jeonghan and Joshua doubt. Their desires and dreams were about to end.

Seokmin had his own plans.

Everything was under his control.

That night, he told Wonwoo were to look. Seokmin made Wonwoo run and when the moment came he killed him. He crushed Wonwoo's kakuhou. Seokmin saw the betrayal, the pain and fear on his face as Joshua decapitated him. The head rolling on the floor.

Joshua’s pained expression was new.

It was something about Mingyu that made the world so difficult for him to control it.

Mingyu was different from everyone. He would do something. Mingyu would change everything and Seokmin would perish.

Seokmin ran away, looking back to see Mingyu crying, as his heart really belonged to Wonwoo and a smile was pushed on his lips.

It was the best. Destroy all the hope was his thing. His game.

There wasn’t anything more fun than that.

 

* * *

 

If Wonwoo was still alive he would surely think that Mingyu didn’t loved him as much as he loved Jihoon. After Wonwoo’s death there wasn’t crying, there wasn’t depression, he acted as before, or everybody wanted to believe that. Mingyu was different. Wonwoo’s death affected him in a completely different way than Jihoon’s death did.

Mingyu’s mind wasn’t filled with hope and good thoughts anymore. He had become angry and vengeful.

He hated the world. There wasn’t anything good on it anymore.

The good hearted and kind Mingyu didn’t exist. His heart had dried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I hadn't have many time to write, I wanted to close this here. But it doesn't feel like it and yet it does. I will try to write a better closure but you can gues where this is going to. I'll mark as finished but I will work on getting another chapter done. Also the extra chapter that goes outside this will be posted separatedly. 
> 
> This was just an explanation on everything. I'm so sorry to have this with an unfinished feeling (or is just me?). I couldn't thought on anything else besides what I wrote at the end. My mind is flodded with images but not an actual story for it.
> 
> What do you think?

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Here are some links. This is like an intro. Really, compared with the next thing I wrote. 
> 
> [Kagune](http://tokyoghoul.wikia.com/wiki/Kagune): Sloth's kagune is a rinkaku (scale-red) that's why I use tentacle to describe it. 
> 
> [Quinque](http://tokyoghoul.wikia.com/wiki/Quinque): Different shapes, ranks, etc. 
> 
> [RC Cells](http://tokyoghoul.wikia.com/wiki/Rc_cells)


End file.
